Car-free Gurgaon: NGT questions initiative

A day after Gurgaon observed a ‘car-free day’ to free the roads from traffic congestion, the National Green Tribunal on Wednesday asked the Haryana government to inform it about its actual impact on the pollution level in the city to ascertain.

Gurgaon had on Tuesday observed a ‘car-free day’ to encourage people to use public modes of transportation, with the police making elaborate arrangements to make the initiative a success.

A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, took note of media reports saying levels of PM 2.5 emitted by vehicles were lower in the congested Cyber City due to the drive and directed the state government and its pollution board to file an affidavit in this regard. Fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) is an air pollutant that is a concern for people’s health when levels in air are high.