Delhi government kicks off campaign against industrial pollution

New Delhi: As the winter is approaching, the Delhi government on Friday started a month-long campaign against industrial pollution in the National Capital.

Under this campaign, 66 teams of DPCC and DSIIDC have been set up to keep an eye on the fuels being used in more than 1,700 industrial units in the capital. These registered industrial units of Delhi have been converted into PNG.

The teams will oversee all industrial units in Delhi and implement immediate measures to curb industrial waste and pollution.

Periodic reports will be submitted to the Environment Department based on their findings. The DPCC team has been instructed to take strict action against any violation of environmental regulations by industrial units.

Earlier, on Wednesday, Environment Minister Gopal Rai convened a review meeting at the Delhi Secretariat regarding industrial pollution.

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

The Minister had 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.

The Minister 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.

Gopal Rai stated, “In order to address the issue of pollution during the winter season, CM Arvind Kejriwal declared a winter action plan consisting of 15 focus points on September 29.

The Winter Action Plan has instigated efforts to enhance air quality in Delhi by initiating the monitoring of industrial pollution and its waste management.

“Under the Industrial Pollution Campaign, it has been decided to deploy patrolling teams to monitor the dumping of industrial waste in the whole of Delhi” he added.

A report by the independent environment think tank Centre for Science and Environment shows that 31% of Delhi’s pollution comes from sources within the national capital while 69% is from sources in NCR States.