Crackers to remain prohibited as Arvind Kejriwal issues 15-point strategy to combat Delhi pollution

Arvind Kejriwal, the chief minister of Delhi, on Friday, unveiled a 15-point action plan to reduce the city's air pollution. "The winter is set to arrive. And we often see that the pollution rises when the winter sets in. The two-crore plus population and our government have worked very hard to reduce the air pollution in Delhi over the last several years. As a result, a report by the NCAP (National Clean Air Programme) highlights that the pollution in the city has reduced significantly in 2021-22 as compared to four years ago," CM Kejriwal stated, adding that the level of PM10 has decreased by 18.6%. The chief minister emphasised that one of the measures that helped was reducing power outages, which decreased the need for generators.

Increasing the amount of green space, promoting electric vehicles, and promoting the usage of public transportation are several.

The 15-point strategy he unveiled on Friday is as follows:

1) At this time of year, air pollution brought on by burning stubble is still a major concern. Farmers would receive a bio-decomposer that was created by the PUSA Institute for free. Kejriwal declared, “This time, we would try that no farmer would have to burn the stubble."

2) On October 6, a campaign against dust will begin. A total of 586 teams will do active monitoring. Anti-smog weapons are now required "Wherever there is construction area of more than 5,000 sq feet, anti-smog guns are now mandatory there," Kejriwal said, adding that the city would have 233 anti-smog weapons in total.

3) 380 teams have been organised to monitor the PUC (Pollution Under Control Certificate) policy's application to vehicular pollution. The CM stated that approximately 203 often congested routes had been identified and that efforts will be made to keep them clear of traffic.

4) No one would be permitted to burn trash outdoors. Kejriwal emphasised that more than 600 teams had been created for this.

5) Piped natural gas would be used by industrial units. To implement this, 33 squads have been organised.

6) Just like every year, crackers are still prohibited. The chief minister emphasised that production and procurement of crackers would be limited and that over 200 teams would monitor this.

7) Information on the probable sources of Delhi's pollution is being gathered alongside that from IIT-Kanpur. It has developed into a great site.

8) Approximately 8,500 Paryavan Mitras have been hired as volunteers so far. The phone number to leave a missed call for volunteering is 8448441758, CM Kejriwal advised.

9) Electronic garbage will soon be disposed of in an e-waste park.

10) The government planned to plant 42 lakh trees to boost the amount of green space. The plan is to perform the final 9 lakh transplants.

11) Beginning on October 3, a nine-person expert team will be working continuously to analyse data in a green war room to provide a plan for the next day.

12) "We had made a green Delhi app about two years ago. So far, 53,000 complaints have been received. I would encourage you to continue sharing feedback on this," added the chief minister.

13) 13 hotspots where stringent supervision would be carried out have been identified.

14) GRAP would be adhered to as usual.

15) The chief minister also encouraged the neighbouring states to reduce the usage of generators and ensure that the majority of outside vehicles are CNG vehicles, among other things.