PMO-led task force to tackle air pollution management in NCR

A high-level task force led by the Prime Minister`s Office (PMO) will initiate action in advance for the management of air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), said the PMO on Saturday.

As per an official release, a high-level task force led by Dr P K Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister will review action taken by agencies and firm up plans for the coming season on September 18.

"Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Dr PK Mishra chaired the meeting of the high-level task force constituted to improve the air quality in the National Capital Region of Delhi. Chief Secretaries of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, Secretaries of different department and ministries of the central government including M/o (members) of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Agriculture, Road, Petroleum, and Central Pollution Control Board were present in the meeting," said the release.

It said that the meeting was called well in advance, before the onset of harvesting and winter season, to ensure proper precautionary and preventive measures to combat the causes of air pollution are taken well in time.

"While assessing the overall situation, it was noted that crop burning incidents in neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh were still high last year. Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister issued a number of directions to intensify the planned actions to ensure that stubble burning is discontinued," said the release.

It added that the government of GNCT-Delhi was requested to ensure measures to control local sources of pollution."Principal Secretary mentioned that special emphasis should be laid on the deployment of teams for control of open burning of waste, IT-enabled monitoring of mechanical road sweepers, improvement in utilisation of construction and demolition waste, and site-specific implementation of the action plan for identified hot spots." it said

According to the release, during the meeting, it was decided that Haryana and Uttar Pradesh would prepare and implement similar site-specific action plans in their area falling under NCR.

Mishra also emphasized that the envisaged measures should be implemented well before the onset of severe conditions and focus should also be laid on compliance of emission norms by industry in the satellite industrial area.