Campaign to reduce vehicular pollution to return after a year

New Delhi: The Delhi government will re-launch a campaign to curb vehicular pollution on October 26, a year after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena put it on hold, questioning its effectiveness.

Sources in the city government’s environment department said the L-G’s permission will not be required for the “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign this year as the participants will not receive any honorarium, unlike in previous seasons.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai informed reporters that the campaign will kick off on October 26.

However, he mentioned that the odd-even car-rationing scheme, which allows cars to ply on alternate days based on odd or even number plates, is not currently under consideration.

The “Red Light On, Gaadi Off” campaign, first launched on October 16, 2020, aims to reduce vehicular pollution in the national capital by encouraging drivers to switch off their vehicles while waiting for traffic lights to turn green.

A 2019 study conducted by the Central Road Research Institute showed that keeping engines running at traffic signals can increase pollution levels by more than 9 per cent.

Another study conducted at the Bhikaji Cama Place traffic intersection by the Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA), under the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, revealed that more than 62 per cent people began turning off their vehicles after a similar campaign.

Rai said the city government has identified eight more pollution hotspots, in addition to the existing 13, in the national capital. Special teams will be deployed at these spots to investigate the pollution sources.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi has also decided to use suppressant powder to mitigate dust pollution.

Delhi’s air quality deteriorated to the “very poor” category on Sunday for the first time since May, primarily due to a drop in the temperature and wind speed, which allowed pollutants to accumulate.

The air quality saw a slight improvement on Monday, with the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) being recorded at 263, compared to 313 on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Rai wrote to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday requesting the appointment of officers who are sensitive to the issue of air pollution after several department heads skipped a meeting to review pollution mitigation measures in the national capital.

Rai said a meeting of the National Capital Civil Service Authority (NCCSA) should be convened as soon as possible to address the issue. The NCCSA takes a call on service matters, including transfers, postings and disciplinary action.

After the meeting with departments concerned earlier in the day, Rai expressed regret that several department heads did not attend the meeting and other senior officials appeared to be unaware of the deteriorating air quality and the measures their departments are taking to combat pollution.

He urged the chief secretary to ensure that these officials work diligently for the next month when air pollution is expected to peak.

In his letter to Kejriwal, Rai said, “A K Singh, Principal Secretary of the Environment Department; Ashwani Kumar, DPCC Chairman and Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department; and Ashish Kundra, Transport Commissioner, did not attend the important meeting today. Their absence makes it extremely difficult to make any significant decisions and ensure their implementation.”

“Therefore, I request that, in order to effectively address the serious pollution situation, a meeting of the National Capital Civil Service Authority should be convened as soon as possible, and officers who are sensitive to the issue of pollution and can actively work to reduce pollution should be appointed,” he concluded. WITH AGENCIES INPUTS