Delhi L-G wants process of shifting industries to PNG hastened

With just two months left before winter sets in and pollution levels start soaring again, Delhi’s Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal directed the city’s pollution control agency on Monday to complete the industries’ fuel conversion process to Piped Natural Gas (PNG) before October.

“The L-G directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to speed up the process of fuel conversion to PNG in industrial areas and complete it by September 30, 2018,” a press release issued by Raj Niwas on Monday said.

The L-G had chaired a meeting called by the Environment Pollution (Protection and Control) Agency (EPCA), a Supreme Court–appointed body, earlier in the day to take stock of the measures taken to curb pollution in the national capital. He directed all agencies to prepare for winter, so that air pollution is contained in Delhi.

Air quality in Delhi usually starts dipping before the onset of winter, and the Graded Response Action Plan for ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’ categories of pollution is enforced from October 15.

SM Ali, member secretary of the DPCC, informed the L-G that the work of converting industries to PNG is progressing at an expected rate in all industrial areas, including Patparganj, Jhilmil and Friends Colony.

An official of the DPCC said that around one-third of the 1,500-odd polluting industries in the city’s industrial areas have already shifted to PNG.

The environment department had recently moved a proposal before the cabinet to provide subsidies to industries to shift to cleaner fuel. While the Delhi government has already banned polluting fuels such as pet coke, furnace oil, kerosene, rubber and coal among others, industries have been asked to shift to PNG to curb pollution further.

First Published: Aug 14, 2018 03:35 IST