Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday said the government will hold a conference on February 27 with experts, NGOs and officials to reduce air pollution in the city.
Word to other States
“After the conference, the government will also write letters to Environment Ministers of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab for a meeting in March to find solutions to air pollution,” he said.
He also said the government will work to make the fight against air pollution a mass movement. “If air pollution has to be reduced by one-third, it has to be turned into a mass movement. Only efforts from the part of the government will not help to reduce it. Till everyone participates, it will be difficult to control it,” Mr. Rai at a press conference .
The aim to reduce air pollution to one-third in the next five years was mentioned in the 10-point ‘Kejriwal Ka Guarantee Card’ released by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the run-up to the 2020 Delhi Assembly election.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Rai, who was given charge of the Environment Ministry, which was earlier under Minister Kailash Gahlot, chaired a meeting of officials of the Environment Department to understand the situation.
Steps taken in last 5 yrs
“The environmental issues pertaining to Delhi have been a subject of concern. When we formed the AAP government five years ago, we had taken various measures to decrease pollution levels. A lot of work has been done in this sector as a result of which the government has been able to reduce around 25% of pollution levels in the city along with the support of various agencies and the people of Delhi,” Mr. Rai said.
He said an action team must be formulated consisting of people from multiple agencies because all of them play an important role in this sector. “Obtaining real-time data is the first and foremost step in this direction. Second, STPs have been created by the Delhi Jal Board to detect and monitor the causes of pollution of the Yamuna. I will also visit the STP plant setup in Delhi Gate to oversee the treatment process and its functioning,” he said.
40 lakh trees/year
The Minister added that a joint meeting of all the agencies, including civic bodies, Public Works Department, Delhi Development Authority, Resident Welfare Associations, among others will be held on February 28, where discussions will be held on how to spearhead the Delhi government’s plan of plantation of 40 lakh trees in the city in a year.