NEW DELHI: Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will be among 20 leaders from megacities of the world to launch the Clean Air Cities Declaration, a set of short and long term commitments towards cleaning the air. New Delhi will endorse the declaration and pledge to reduce emissions and air pollution in a set timeframe.
“CM Kejriwal will address a joint press conference with the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, the Mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti, the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Frank Jensen, Mayor of Portland, Ted Wheeler, Governor of Jakarta, Anies Baswedan and Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau. The announcement will take place on 11th October at 8:30 am Central European Summer Time (CEST) at the Tivoli Conference Centre, Copenhagen,” a government statement said.
Several bilateral meetings are being planned for the delegation from Delhi.
“CM Kejriwal is expected to share the challenges and successes of Delhi’s effort to curb pollution and improve quality of life. Additionally, the chief minister is expected to understand some of the global best practices in various fields of governance from cities around the world to be implemented in Delhi,” it added.
Kejriwal is scheduled to attend the C40 World Mayors Summit in Copenhagen, Denmark between 9-12 October. Invited as the leader of one of the world’s largest metropolises, the chief minister will join leaders of the cities like New York, London, Paris, Los Angeles and Berlin on the high table of urban powerhouses to deliberate on the climate crisis impacting the world.
C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. Kejriwal is expected to speak on his government’s experience in lowering air pollution and present the set of initiatives taken that led to the 25 per cent reduction in air pollution.
Steps taken
The government had in September announced a seven-point Parali Pradushan Action Plan to curb pollution in Delhi.
The plan involved implementation of the odd-even vehicles plan, distribution of pollution masks and a laser show.