India News | GRAP III Invoked, Anti-smog Guns Deployed as Delhi Govt, MCD Step Up Fight Against Pollution
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Implementing stage III of pollution control plan, deploying anti-smog guns and re-launching the 'Red light on, Gaadi off' campaign are among the measures taken by the Delhi government, MCD and NDMC with the city's air quality entering the 'severe' category, officials said on Friday.
New Delhi, Nov 3 (PTI) Implementing stage III of pollution control plan, deploying anti-smog guns and re-launching the 'Red light on, Gaadi off' campaign are among the measures taken by the Delhi government, MCD and NDMC with the city's air quality entering the 'severe' category, officials said on Friday.
According to a Delhi government official, the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) stage 3 has been implemented in the national capital with a complete ban on construction or demolition activities.
The Centre's pollution control panel invoked the GRAP III on Thursday, directing a halt on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in Delhi-NCR. Under this stage, restrictions are also imposed on the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.
The Delhi administration, which has stepped up measures to tackle the pollution menace, has deployed anti-smog guns in several places such as Anand Vihar, Kashmiri Gate ISBT, ITO, Pusa Road, Jahangirpuri, Narela Industrial area, and Burari Crossing, officials said.
An official of the Public Works Department (PWD) said, "The process of sprinkling of water is underway in the national capital in view of the pollution in the city. Anti-smog guns keep a constant check on road dust and we also use them where construction work is being carried out."
"We have 150 anti-smog guns and pressed them for the work. Around 50 such guns are working in double shift. We have also asked the contractors to install anti-smog guns, use view cutters and cover the openly lying material with curtains. We are trying to fill the potholes on roads, repairing the broken pavement, and general SOPs are being followed," the official said.
The Delhi government launched the 'Red light on, Gaadi off' campaign on October 28 to make commuters and motorists aware about the growing pollution and encourage them to switch off their vehicles while waiting for the traffic light to turn green. It was re-launched a year after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena put it on hold, questioning its effectiveness.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai had earlier said 2,500 civil defence volunteers will be deployed for the campaign to monitor its implementation at 100 key traffic intersections.
The air quality of Delhi remained in the 'very poor' category till Thursday morning with an AQI of 315 and it deteriorated to 418 in the evening. Friday morning was worse as the AQI reached up to 450.
GRAP categorises actions into four stages: Stage I - 'Poor' (AQI 201-300); Stage II - 'Very Poor' (AQI 301-400); Stage III - 'Severe' (AQI 401-450); and Stage IV - 'Severe Plus' (AQI above 450).
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has allocated Rs 20 lakh per zone for taking measures to combat air pollution in the city, officials said.
As part of its efforts, the MCD is focusing on the deployment of machinery and manpower for clearing garbage along railway tracks, they added.
An MCD official said the agency will purchase dust suppressants that will be sprayed using anti-smog guns and water sprinklers at least every alternate day during non-peak hours.
According to officials of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), the agency has deployed seven mechanical road sweepers in two shifts.
There are no potholes on the roads under the jurisdiction of the NDMC, the officials said, adding that restoration work will be started as soon as any potholes are spotted.
One anti-smog gun or mist spray machine has been procured by the NDMC and being used at the Pandit Pant Marg area. The NDMC has deployed 18 water tankers or trolleys of 5,000 litres to 10,000 litres, the agency said.
The NDMC has constituted a team to inspect the construction sites for enforcing dust mitigation measures. As many as 36 challans of Rs 50,000 have been issued as per the guidelines of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the violators, it stated.
The agency added that construction and demolition waste is collected on a daily basis and is being sent to a dumping ground at Okhla.
A 14-member team of field officers have been deployed for the entire NDMC area, which submits daily report on activities violating pollution norms. In addition, 14 teams of the health department are deployed circle-wise for keeping a check on waste burning incidents, it stated.
To promote use of e-vehicles in its area as per the national mobility programme, 100 electric vehicle public charging stations have been installed and commissioned in the NDMC area, it added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)