Delhi minister discusses air pollution with experts

New Delhi: Delhi’s air pollution has now become center stage, hitting the headlines every day. Political parties are slamming each other.  Blame game is on the rampage. However, the pollution levels remain the same. Plans have been made on paper, but in reality nothing is being done to overcome this core issue and control the air pollution in the national capital. Delhiites health is at risk; a wait-and-watch is going on.

The Delhi government has decided to focus on ground level, including controlling dust at construction sites, sprinkling trees on a regular basis, cleaning narrow lanes, and so on. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa discussed such plants in a high-level meeting at the Delhi Secretariat. On this occasion, experts from IIT-Delhi, TERI, and Clean Air Collective were present.

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Experts believe that better planning, like the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs), especially for public transport, gradually removing old and polluting vehicles, and giving priority to EVs during the registration of new vehicles. Another suggestion from the experts was the expansion of Delhi Metro; its access should not be more than 400 meters from an individual’s home, inspiring residents to use public transport, reducing the use of private vehicles, which are responsible for high emissions.

Minister Sirsa said that the Delhi government is set to implement several of these plans. He further added that “use of science and technology and public support are essential for curbing pollution issues from the city,” he said.

The government has been planning to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems at the border points to check unfit vehicles. A new parking policy is also in the pipeline to lessen congestion.