Delhi to launch campaign to curb industrial pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai. File Pic

The Delhi government will run a month-long campaign to curb industrial pollution starting October 20, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.

He told reporters here that 66 teams have been set up to keep an eye on the fuels being used in over 1,700 industrial units in the capital.

"Though these units have shifted to natural gas, we will ensure that there's no laxity on their part," Rai said.

The minister had on Tuesday demanded that the Centre impose a complete ban on firecrackers and allow the movement of only CNG and electric vehicles in the entire National Capital Region in a bid to curb air pollution.

Rai, in a letter to Bhupender Yadav, his counterpart at the Centre, said the Delhi government has taken numerous steps to curb air pollution during the winter season. "But these steps will not be effective until Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh deal with the sources of pollution in the NCR region," he said.

A report by independent environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment shows that 31 per cent of Delhi's pollution comes from sources within the national capital while 69 per cent is from sources in NCR states, he said.

Rai demanded that the Centre convene an emergency meeting to discuss solutions to the factors contributing to air pollution in the national capital.

The states in the National Capital Region (NCR) should impose a complete ban on firecrackers and stubble burning in the entire region and allow only CNG and electric vehicles, the Delhi minister said.

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