NEW DELHI: The Delhi government will focus on public participation to reduce air pollution in the city, Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday.
The government will fight against air pollution as a mass movement which will focus on changing the mindset and behaviour of people to combat air pollution. He said, "Within the constraints of the pandemic and restrictions on mass mobilisation, we need to create a mass movement. Our three-pronged approach needs to focus on policy, technology and making the environment a mass concern. People have the power. If the environment becomes people's concern then big milestones can be achieved."
The Minister while speaking at the second digital roundtable conference with experts said that even though the government has been taking a slew of measures like launching EV policy, bio-decomposers to curb stubble burning and many more, it is still not enough.
"A plan is needed that can work through the year, and in the coming days, we will come up with an action plan to further better Delhi's AQI. Nobody knows until when the pandemic will rage, and it's not feasible to wait that long. We would like your suggestions to create a viable and effective plan for the city," he said while speaking to the environment experts present there.
Rai said that the government's work will move at three levels — the policy level with positive impact on the city, a plan at a technological level and the effective use of agencies at the government's disposal.
"While we have identified hotspots, it is still challenging to measure the timing, the rate, source and impact of pollution. The Delhi government is working at a technological level to find appropriate tools to measure these indicators which would in turn help us devise the correct policy," he explained.