Officials who fail to control pollution in Delhi will lose salary, says Delhi govt

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Oct 26 2019: Faced with the challenge of controlling air quality from deteriorating over the next few days, the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) Friday asked chief secretaries of four NCR states to ban construction activities between 6 pm and 6 am from October 26-30.

 

 

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has also decided to deduct salaries of executive engineers of PWD and other agencies if they fail to remove garbage and construction waste from their areas.

Chairing a high-level meeting, Chief Secretary Vijay Dev directed the departments concerned and municipal corporations that action plans regarding the city’s 13 pollution hotspots be accorded the highest priority and action points completed within two weeks.

EPCA chairman Dr Bhure Lal, in a letter to the chief secretaries, said the construction ban includes hot mix plants, stone crushers and construction activities such as earthwork, which have potential to generate dust.

The decision was taken after the EPCA received recommendations from a CPCB task force Thursday on measures required to be taken under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which was implemented in Delhi-NCR on October 15.

“According to the task force assessment, the air quality situation during the next few days due to festival, meteorology, stubble burning is expected to be challenging. IMD has informed the task force that wind speed and directions will be fluctuating… On October 28, fog is also expected,” Dr Lal said in the letter Friday.

The Supreme Court-appointed EPCA has also directed that coal-based industries, with the exemption of power plants, be shut down for the five-day period in NCR towns. In Delhi, industries that haven’t yet shifted to piped natural gas are to be closed.

The authority has also asked the GRAP implementing agencies in NCR towns to be on high alert and enforce law for controlling polluting activities.

Traffic Police in Delhi-NCR have been asked to deploy more manpower to ensure smooth flow of traffic and impounding of “visibly polluting vehicles.”

Strict enforcement of the ban on conventional firecrackers and zero tolerance to operation of illegal industries and use of unauthorised fuels has also been directed.

Following the directions, DPCC wrote to implementing authorities, including the Delhi Police, DDA and MCDs, to submit daily action taken report to it.

 

Courtesy:indianexpress.com