The environment minister requested authorities from NCR states and union territories to submit concrete action taken reports on air pollution management efforts undertaken in their respective fields.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on air pollution in Delhi NCR on Tuesday, union minister for environment, forests and climate change, Bhupender Yadav, asked all concerned state and union territory authorities to submit concrete action taken reports on air pollution management efforts undertaken in their respective fields. This was the fourth such review meeting to assess the ongoing measures for the prevention and control of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region.

Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Wildlife, Government of NCT of Delhi, Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa was also present during the meeting.

Upon reviewing the ongoing efforts to control air pollution, Yadav requested the concerned authorities to prepare District-wise plan for Crop-Residue Management and conduct year-round monitoring of stubble burning cases. He further asked the district authorities to undertake capacity building and training of farmers on operating Crop Residue Management (CRM) machines, while ensuring their widespread access.

Further, Yadav stressed on ensuring zero-tolerance and maintaining constant vigil against open burning of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). He directed the municipal authorities of NCR cities to prepare a strict timeline to bridge the gaps in the Legacy Waste Management and ensure its accelerated liquidation. Yadav also encouraged the authorities to not work in silos and share best practices for MSW management amongst themselves.

The minister stated that installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCD) should be taken up in mission mode in the red category industries in Delhi NCR. In order to minimise road dust,  Yadav reviewed the Road Redevelopment Roadmaps for the identified urban/industrialised areas of the NCR.

Road-Side Greening Works

The union environment minister also asked the authorities to ensure the quality and timely completion of the road construction works. Yadav stressed upon plugging offtake and processing gaps for Construction and Demolition (C&D) Waste and encouraged government authorities to take the lead, along with the private sector.

Besides this, the minister also encouraged various authorities to undertake road-side greening works on a mission mode so as to minimise dust generation. He suggested that various municipal corporations in NCR start developing saplings in nurseries, in coordination with the respective forest departments, which then could be planted on a wide-scale on degraded forest lands to give a boost to green cover in the region. Further, Yadav requested the Delhi Traffic Police to prepare Traffic Management Plans for the identified traffic congestion hotspots and expedite the implementation of Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS) in the national capital, so as to minimise vehicular pollution generated due to traffic jams.

The union minister reiterated the government’s unwavering commitment to improving air quality in the region through coordinated action and collaboration with all stakeholders, including citizens. The meeting witnessed participation from key stakeholders including the CAQM, CPCB, Governments of NCT of Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, municipal commissioners of NCR cities and other concerned agencies.