E-rickshaws, stricter emission norms and zero tolerance zones for car parking are part of Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Jung’s plans to control pollution in Delhi.
On Friday, Mr. Jung accepted the recommendations of a high-powered committee, which was set up after a WHO report in May named Delhi as the city with the worst air quality in the world.
The committee came up with long and short term measures to address the alarming levels of air and water pollution in the city. “This needs to be taken up on a mission mode by all agencies of the government,” said Mr. Jung.
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Short-term measures to control air pollution include promotion of battery-operated vehicles, introduction of Euro-V norms for vehicles registered in Delhi, tightening of Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms and clearly demarcated zero tolerance parking zones.
The committee also said public transport use should be encouraged and air quality monitoring stations should be set up in the National Capital Region. Among the long-term measures, the committee recommended a public transport plan.
To stop pollutants from flowing into the Yamuna, the committee said all sewage and industrial effluents should be treated. Optimum utilisation of the Delhi Jal Board’s treatment plants, which are running below capacity, was also a part of the plan.
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The long-term solutions to water pollution include a three-year target to ensure 100 per cent treatment of sewage and industrial effluents, and removal of all encroachments on the Yamuna floodplains.
The Lieutenant-Governor ordered officials to submit a department-wise plan within three weeks to implement these suggestions. A project implementation unit was also set up at Mr. Jung’s office. It will be responsible for monitoring the implementation on a quarterly basis.