Delhi has seen a steady worsening of air pollution levels in recent weeks — remaining firmly in the ‘hazardous’ category on Tuesday. Environmental Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa indicated that the newly imposed ‘no PUC, no fuel’ policy would continue indefinitely across the national capital alongside strict verification of the pollution control documents. The city has also ramped up measures against faulty pollution testing centres, issued hundreds of closure notices to industrial units and made anti-smog guns mandatory over the past month.
Our Pollution Under Control Certificate campaign was running with the slogan ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ along with GRAP 4 in Delhi. We will continue this even after the GRAP restrictions are lifted. We have found 12 PUCC centres that were involved in irregularities, and they have been suspended and will be blacklisted,” Sirsa said during a press conference.
“All the PUCC (Pollution Under Control Certificates) will be verified, and strict action will be taken against those found to be fraudulent…Due to some Western Disturbance, the weather in Delhi is expected to remain bad… We are trying to take further steps that will prove effective in Delhi,” he added.
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What is this policy?
The Delhi government had implemented a stringent “no PUCC, no fuel” policy last week — requiring all cars to carry relevant documents. Officials had identified 126 checkpoints and more than 500 policemen were deployed at fuel pumps across the national capital. The BJP-led government has also announced an overhaul of the Pollution Under Control Certificate system and development of a car-pooling app to ease vehicular congestion.
All private vehicles with engine standards below BS VI have also been ‘banned’ from entering the city. Teams from the Delhi Traffic Police and the transport department were sent to the city border points last week as thousands of private vehicles found themselves stopped from entering Delhi. denied entry.
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Sirsa outlines anti-pollution measures
“CM Rekha Gupta has sanctioned four new automatic testing stations. The anti-smog guns) installed on top of high-rise buildings in Delhi have been given more time to operate, and building owners have been given the option to install misting systems around their premises. ASGs and misting systems are now compulsory. To control industrial pollution in Delhi, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee has issued 411 closure notices so far, and the MCD has sealed 400 units.
AQI turns ‘hazardous’
Air Quality Index in Delhi was recorded as ‘hazardous’ on Tuesday morning — soaring to 413 by 8 am. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), air quality spiked to ‘severe’ levels in certain areas of the National Capital Region (NCR). Multiple parts of the city continued to witness alarmingly high pollution levels. The Commission for Air Quality Management has already invoked all actions under GRAP Stage-IV in Delhi-NCR. Key pollution hotspots included Anand Vihar (466), Chandni Chowk (425), and Ashok Vihar (444) — with many areas falling under the ‘severe’ category across the national capital.I ndia Gate, Kartavya Path and Rashtrapati Bhavan were all blanketed by toxic smog. |
