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All depts directed to finalise air pollution action plan by Sept 21

All depts directed to finalise air pollution action plan by Sept 21
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New Delhi: With the winter months rolling in, and Delhiites preparing their masks — this time to be able to breathe, the Capital's Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday announced that a 10-point "Winter Action Plan" to tackle air pollution, involving all departments, MCDs and other authorities should be ready by September 21.

In a review meeting for the action plan, Rai directed all concerned departments to submit their respective action plans to curb air and dust pollution in the city by this deadline.

"We will prepare the final action plan based on their recommendations. The Development Department has been specifically directed to draft a timeline and action plan to curb stubble burning," Rai said.

The Development Department will make a plan for curbing stubble burning while all government agencies that take up construction work in the capital will have to submit a plan to control dust pollution, he said. The Transport Department has been tasked with promoting electric vehicles, along with the increased monitoring systems of pollution certificates.

The Traffic Police have already been asked to reduce vehicle pollution which occurs mainly when trucks or private cars break down on the road. "Traffic police have been tasked to make special arrangements so that these vehicles can be immediately removed. Thus far, the system has been such that when DTC or cluster buses break down, the mechanic comes from the depot the bus belongs to. The Transport Department has been asked to make a ground action plan such that when this happens, the mechanic from the nearest depot can come and fix it," the minister said.

Moreover, the MCDs have been asked to prevent garbage burning by collecting it in due time.

All the MCDs, NDMC, DDA, CPWD, PWD, DDA, Cantonment Board, I&FC Department and all other government agencies that take up construction work have been asked to make an action plan on four focus points — procurement of dust suppression chemicals, Mechanical Road Sweeping, disposal plan for the dust sucked from roads, and special training for ground staff to sensitise them about pollution, the government announced. In the review meeting,

different focus points from the 10 point 'Winter Action Plan' have been allocated to different departments to work on, the Delhi government said in a statement.

"To work on these points, we organised a meeting of all the principal agencies in Delhi — All the three Municipal Corporations, NDMC, Cantonment Board, DDA, CPWD, PWD, Traffic Police, Transport Department, Environment Department, Development Department," Rai said.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has directed every department to sensitise their on-ground workers like Junior Engineers, Contractors, Supervisors about dust pollution.

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