Pollution in Delhi: LG VK Saxena to hold high-level meeting, departments to issue advisories | Top updates
“I have also urged action against the chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee who closed the smog tower without government permission and curtailed a probe into resource sharing,” Gopal Rai said.
New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on Friday held a meeting with Environment Minister Gopal Rai amid the severe air pollution in the city during which it was decided to appeal to neighboring states, especially Punjab, to ban stubble burning in paddy fields to check.
The meeting also decided to adopt interim measures such as issuing advisories by the Environment Department asking people, especially children and the elderly, to be extra careful and stay indoors as much as possible, preparedness by the Public Health Department and optimal use of mechanized street sweepers. water sprinklers and anti-smog cannons. According to a statement issued by Raj Niwas, the meeting chaired by the LG could not be attended by the Chief Minister who was from Delhi.
After the meeting, Rai told reporters that he urged the LG to issue directions to senior officers not to “boycott” the government and attend meetings and remain cooperative and active for implementation of the decisions on the ground.
“I have also urged action against the chairman of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee who, without the government’s consent, closed the smog tower and curtailed a probe into the distribution of the sources,” Rai said.
He said the BJP is in power at the Center and in the neighboring states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and added that he called for a cooperative and consultative approach to combat pollution.
Raj Niwas’ statement said that the meeting decided that under the interim measures, people will be appealed to stay indoors as much as possible, avoid unnecessary travel and use public transport if necessary , to ensure less volume. of traffic and therefore less emissions and dust pollution.
The meeting also decided on strict implementation of Air Quality Management Commission (CAQM) measures regarding Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) on site.
“It was decided to appeal to the neighboring states, especially Punjab, which accounted for 1,921 (71.57 percent) incidents of parali (stubble) out of a total of 2,684 such occurrences on November 1, to encourage the burning of reduce crop residues by incentivizing farmers so that the resulting smoke in the region could be controlled,” the statement said.
Besides Punjab, 99 cases of ‘parali’ burning were reported in Haryana, 95 in Uttar Pradesh and 60 in Rajasthan. The LG reiterated the need to formulate a long-term permanent action plan to be seriously implemented once the ongoing emergency subsides.
Earlier, the Lieutenant Governor in a post on
“I appeal to the people to stay indoors as much as possible and not expose themselves, especially children and the elderly, to hazardous environmental conditions with the AQI reportedly crossing 800 in some places,” he said in a message.
The LG has also canceled his public appearances at Yogmaya Mandir and Urs by Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya.
(With PTI inputs)