Delhi environment minister pushes for joint action plan to tackle pollution in NCR

Rai said the Delhi’s internal pollution is largely under control due to numerous measures taken by the Kejriwal government, such as a ban on construction, the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign, a ban on trucks entering Delhi, pollution under check certificate, an anti-open burning campaign, among others. However, there is an urgent need for the Centre and the other state governments to control the remaining pollution, which is external, contributing to Delhi’s poor air quality, Rai said in his letter.

“However, as far as I am aware, the report released by CSE on the basis of data presented by IITM says that Delhi’s internal pollution accounts for 31 percent of the total pollution seen in the city, while 69 percent is from outside the city, from the NCR region. Hence, despite all our efforts to curb internal pollution levels, the overall pollution is still evident," Rai said in a press release.

“While governments are taking measures at their own level, we believe that a joint meeting and a collective effort is needed to have a proper impact and to significantly reduce pollution throughout Delhi-NCR. Hence, I have once again requested for a meeting to be held with all authorities concerned as well as experts," Rai said.