New Delhi, Oct 18 (FN Representative) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday launched the ‘Red Light on Gaadi Off’ Campaign to reduce vehicular pollution in Delhi. The Aam Aadmi Party leader launched the campaign’ from ITO Chowk here. The Minister urged vehicle owners and drivers to stop their vehicles at traffic red lights by presenting them with rose. During this, the Civil Defence Volunteers distributed pamphlets of ‘Chief Minister’s appeal to the public’, that explained them more about the campaign. Commuters were appealed to reduce one trip a week and download the Green Delhi mobile app on phone. Using the app, people could send in their complaints about the problems linked to 10 kinds of pollution throughout the winter season. The Environment Minister said research data on pollution shows that vehicular pollution plays the most prominent role.
The way Delhi government is running anti-dust campaign against dust pollution, the same way ‘Red Light on Gaadi Off’ Campaign has been started to reduce vehicular pollution inside Delhi. He said according to the data of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, if people successfully follow the ‘Red Light on Gaadi Off Campaign’, then vehicular pollution inside Delhi can be reduced by 13 to 20 per cent. The pollution level is increasing in winter due to changing weather and stubble burning. We cannot do anything about stubble burning that is going on in other states. That’s why our effort is to reduce the vehicular pollution in Delhi and in this regard ‘Red Light on Gaadi Off campaign’ has been started. Rai informed that a joint meeting was held with the Union Minister in which Environment Ministers of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh also participated. The whole thing was kept in front of all those people.
We had requested that as Delhi is dealing with the problem of stubble, similarly other states should also stop stubble burning. The Delhi government has taken up the responsibility of preparing the ‘Pusa Bio-Decomposer’ solution to spraying it in the fields. Had other state governments had taken up the responsibility, the stubble would not have been burnt. Other state governments did not discharge the responsibility completely, due to which stubble is burning again in other states. Air pollution is increasing inside Delhi. There is an appeal to the people that this campaign will go ahead with public participation. If we all fight together then only we will be able to reduce this pollution.