NEW DELHI: Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote to the transport ministers of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, urging them to ensure no diesel buses from their states plied to the national capital in view of GRAP-II restrictions in place.
With the air quality in Delhi plummeting, Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) second stage restrictions kicked in from 8 am.
Rai announced a slew of measures, including enhanced water sprinkling to control road dust, use of dust suppressants and deployment of additional traffic personnel to ease congestion.
The minister, in his letters, said a major component of air pollution is vehicular emissions, largely attributed to diesel buses reaching Delhi.
“The impact of diesel emission on air quality is well established. A large influx of such buses significantly contributes to the degradation of air quality, posing serious health risks to the residents,” he said.
Delhi is grappling with poor air quality and the additional burden from interstate traffic is aggravating the situation, he said.
“I request your office to consider restricting the entry of diesel buses from entering Delhi or implementing stricter norms to control their emission norms,” Rai added.
The minister offered to collectively work out implementation of more effective solutions, such as transition to CNG or the use of electric buses for interstate transport.
The Commission for Air Quality Management has established four levels to control pollution. Currently, the AQI is above 300.