‘Laxity of authorities brings city to state of decay’

Speaking at a session on ‘Challenges of National Capital Region’, Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority Chairman Bhure Lal on Monday termed enforcement agencies as “dormant”. Mr. Lal gave an incisive account of how the administration has a crucial role to play in the sad state of affairs.

“Laxity of administration has reduced this beautiful city to a state of decay,” he said.

The session, organised by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations, was held at the India Habitat Centre. Recounting a visit to west Delhi’s Mundka village, Mr. Lal gave a harrowing account of how out of a population of 7,000, more than 100 were battling cancer and how 54% of the children residing in Prem Nagar were suffering from lung diseases. Mr. Lal said that the most sustainable solution to urban challenges was going “vertically up” and allocating surplus area for greening purposes.

Mr. Lal also spoke about the alarming rate of ecological loss happening in the region, with the ridge area, the Aravallis and green foliage disappearing. He went on to speak about the reprehensible state of the Yamuna, which is choking to death and unauthorised constructions rendering the city unsustainable.

The audience was given an account of how agricultural lands are being converted into “industrial godowns” and how emissions from vehicles account for almost 40% of air pollution. Citing the need for transport planning and stressing on the need to shift to public transport , Mr. Lal also emphasised on the need to come up with a strict policy to monitor ownership of private vehicles.

“We also need a firm policy on streamlining encroachments by migrant workers,

raddiwallahs and shopkeepers. We have to allocate and designate areas for people coming from outside and come up with exit policies after their contracts or work is over,” he said.

Highlightling the need for buses to replace private vehicles, Mr. Lal said that a mix of CNG and hydrogen-fuelled buses could be a plausible alternative in the near future. “The infrastructure is not sustainable at all. We should make people understand that if there is no parking space, it is preferable to choose public transport over cars. Nowadays, number of cars per family outnumber the members of the family,” he said.

The session also saw earnest involvement of the audience, proposing a gamut of probable solutions to ease the current scenario.