NEW DELHI: Looking at the alarming level of air pollution in the national capital, which is becoming worse with each passing day, Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal held a meeting with all the stakeholders on Monday.
The main subject of the meeting was improper disposal of industrial rubber and plastic waste, which is being burnt on a large scale in industrial areas, according to the Environment Pollution (Prevention) Control Authority (EPCA).
The EPCA, Delhi Pollution Control Commission and the three Municipal Corporations—North, East and South—were asked to increase the deployment of Environment Marshals at hotspots where waste is being burnt in the open. The Graded Action Response Plan, which is in force after the air quality dipped to the poor category, strictly prohibits this.
Meanwhile, the Delhi transport department, which has been directed by the Supreme Court, has said that as per records more than 1.10 crore vehicles are registered in Delhi. The figure includes two-wheelers, three-wheelers, and buses. Around 72 lakh vehicles are older than the time limit prescribed by the court.
“We started our drive to impound vehicles older than 15 and 10 years this month. Until now we have impounded 165 vehicles, 15-plus years diesel vehicles. Out of the 1 crore, it is quite possible that the majority would have been scrapped or sold out of Delhi. Now we will follow the SC directions and deregister the old vehicles first,” said a senior officer in the transport department.
The transport department will send the list of vehicles to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), which will, in turn, place the list on its website. The CPCB will also make a social media account for better feedback and implementation of the order.
Green firecrackers
Union Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan has unveiled environment-friendly crackers. The production cost of the crackers would be 15-30% lower than those used now.