Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister, Bhupender Yadav, today chaired a high-level meeting to undertake a detailed review of the Action Plans of the Municipal Bodies of Delhi and Sonipat. Chairing the meeting, the Minister issued specific directions for the municipal bodies, including a prohibition on Construction and Demolition activities during the peak pollution period in the NCR.
Mr Yadav also instructed for a proper placement of multi-level parking facilities in Delhi, including the removal of illegal parkings and encroachments from 62 identified traffic congestion hotspots in the city. Vehicles below BS-IV standards are also restricted on these corridors. He further directed exploration of the expansion of waste-to-energy plants at Municipal Solid Waste dump sites and called for fast-tracking the liquidation of Okhla, Bhalswa and Ghazipur legacy waste dump sites by the end of next year.
In addition, the Minister asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to adopt a 360-degree approach encompassing legislative reforms, enforcement action, and provision of alternative solutions to people living or working in encroachments. The Commission for Air Quality Management was also requested to analyse PNG production and consumption bills of industrial units to assess the actual transition of polluting units to clean fuel.
This was the third meeting in the ongoing series of structured reviews conducted to tackle air pollution in Delhi-NCR cities. Stressing the need to improve the global image of the National Capital, Mr Yadav underscored the importance of a ‘Whole-of-Government’ and ‘Whole-of-Society’ approach to effectively address air pollution.
