New Delhi, Nov 16 (FN Bureau) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday that emergency measures to curb pollution levels implemented in Delhi should be followed in the whole NCR for effective improvement in Air Quality. The minister stated that the emergency measures enforced by the Delhi government including Work From Home and a ban on construction activities were proposed in a meeting happened with neighbouring states and the Centre today.
“On behalf of the people of Delhi, we proposed that work-from-home be implemented, all construction work and industries in the Delhi-NCR region be shut for the meantime. The other states presented their proposals too, we’re awaiting the minutes of the meeting at the moment. We will proceed further after receiving the decision of Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM),” the Rai said. The meeting was convened upon the directions of the Supreme Court which had instructed the Commission to hold a joint meeting regarding the pollution levels in Delhi. The top officials from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi attended the meeting today.
Rai also informed that the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ awareness campaign has been extended further for 15 days. The one-month long activity, which was supposed to end on November 18, is now pushed till December 3. Over 2,500 Civil Defence Volunteers deployed at around 100 major intersections urge the commuters to put off engines of their vehicles. The Delhi Government believes that the activity not just saves fuel but also controls the contribution of vehicular emission to air pollution.