New delhi: Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday said around 70 per cent people in Delhi did not burn firecrackers on Diwali after the Delhi government imposed a ban on the same, and the results will be better next year.
He also said that the long-term solution to the problem of pollution "cannot be found in a day".
"Around 70 percent of the residents of the city did not burn firecrackers after the government imposed a ban on the same. I hope that the results will be better next year," he told reporters.
The Delhi government had on November 5 banned the sale and use of all kinds of firecrackers in the city till November 30.
The National Green Tribunal had also imposed a total ban on sale or use of all kinds of firecrackers in the National Capital Region from November 9 midnight to November 30 midnight, saying "celebration by crackers is for happiness and not to celebrate deaths and diseases".
Rai, who launched Phase 2 of the 'Red light on Gaadi Off' campaign along with Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday, said Pusa bio-decomposer has emerged as a long-term solution to the problem of stubble burning.
According to scientists at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, the solution can turn crop residue into manure in 15 to 20 days and therefore prevent stubble burning.
The minister said the Delhi government will submit the Pusa bio-decomposer impact assessment report along with a petition to the Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Adjoining Areas on Monday, and urge it to issue directions to all state governments to implement it.
Sisodia stressed the need for steps to reduce "pollution at its source" to effectively address the issue of bad air quality.
"There are multiple sources that contribute to pollution. If it is due to vehicles, their number should be reduced or these should be turned off at red light... If it is stubble burning, a solution such as Pusa bio decomposer is needed," he said.
The Delhi government has extended the 'Red light on Gaadi Off' campaign to curb vehicular pollution till November 30.
The Deputy CM added, "The corona situation is also coming under control as the numbers are decreasing after reaching over 8,500. Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain has also said that the situation will be under control within 8 to 10 days and I am hopeful that the situation will improve. I do not think there would be any situation to impose another lockdown in Delhi," he said.