Delhi government launches ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign

Referring to the contribution of diesel vehicles to air pollution, Minister Gopal Rai called for greater cooperation from the BJP and urged the party to “work with us and not take political revenge against the people of Delhi”.
Volunteers hold placards at ITO to inspire citizens to put off their car engines while waiting at the traffic signal, in New Delhi on Monday.
Volunteers hold placards at ITO to inspire citizens to put off their car engines while waiting at the traffic signal, in New Delhi on Monday. Photo | Parveen Negi
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NEW DELHI: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday launched the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign—turning off car engine at traffic signal— to reduce the vehicular pollution in the capital.

The campaign, which kicked off at the ITO crossing in the city, saw volunteers holding placards with messages like ”Yudh Pradushan Ke Virudh” and urging citizens to switch off their vehicle engines while waiting at red lights to curb emissions.

He claimed that while Punjab has reduced stubble burning, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have not taken adequate action, and incidents continue there, forcing Delhiites to suffer.

“In the last few years, due to the hard work of Delhiites and the concerned departments, pollution levels have decreased by about 34.6 percent, the Environment Minister said.

“I request the BJP-led governments in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana to intensify their efforts in controlling pollution and reducing stubble burning,” Rai added.

Referring to the contribution of diesel vehicles to air pollution, he called for greater cooperation from the BJP and urged the party to “work with us and not take political revenge against the people of Delhi”. Rai said all buses in Delhi run on CNG but at the Anand Vihar bus terminus, there are buses of the Uttar Pradesh government that do not run on CNG.

The minister said despite Delhi’s efforts, over 1,000 diesel buses contribute to air pollution in the city. Reacting to Gopal Rai’s allegations, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva said, “Delhi’s chief minister and environment minister blame Uttar Pradesh’s buses for rising pollution in Anand Vihar, even though those buses do not enter Delhi.”He added that Delhi’s roads are a major contributor to pollution.

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