Submit reports on GRAP measures daily, departments told

Gurgaon: The district administration has written to all departments to strictly comply with the directions of the Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) and implement the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).
The Supreme Court-appointed body has allowed Haryana to use diesel generators, taking into account the hardships that many societies in Gurgaon, which are heavily reliant on gensets, would face if their use is stopped.
In its letter to various departments sent on Thursday, including the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG), city police and Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC), the administration directed them to take up GRAP measures on priority and submit an action-taken report on a daily basis to be sent to the EPCA.
It also listed out the measures each department needs to take in order to ensure that the quality of air is maintained. The EPCA permission for use of gensets comes with strict riders on regulated hours and ensuring their use is minimised by providing uninterrupted power as much as possible.
“Compliance of action plans, especially in pollution spots like Udyog Vihar, shall be ensured by all departments concerned and night patrolling shall be done by the team that has been constituted for this purpose. There will also be enhanced vigilance on pollution sources such as industrial stacks, garbage dumping as well as use of illegal fuels. All technologies to control dust emission, including anti-smog guns, will be used extensively till GRAP is in place,” said Amit Khatri, Gurgaon deputy commissioner.
MCG and GMDA have been asked to identify roads stretches with high dust generation and told to ensure cleaning of roads both day and night. HSVP has been specifically asked to sprinkle water at the vast Leisure Valley ground.
Khatri has also asked police to impound diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years. The department of explosives/fire safety has been asked to suspend all licences that permit sale of fireworks, both wholesale and retail.
The Haryana State Pollution Control Board has been directed to take strict action against construction projects which cause dust pollution. “All stakeholders have been asked to submit a compliance report daily and actions being planned for the following day, which can be shared with the EPCA and other monitoring agencies if sought,” said a district administration official.