New Delhi:Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday said the city government has resolved 90 percent of the air pollution-related complaints it received through the Green Delhi mobile application since October 1. The minister also said the ban on firecrackers in Delhi resulted in the cleanest Diwali in seven years.
Rai said 68,500 challans were issued to vehicle owners not having a valid pollution under control (PUC) certificate in August and September. More than 20 lakh PUC certificates were issued during this period. The owners are required to get their vehicles tested to ascertain if they meet emission standards for pollutants such as carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and carbon dioxide.
Under Section 190(2) of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1993, vehicle owners not having a valid PUC can be fined up to Rs 10,000, or imprisoned for up to six months or both. "We have impounded around 6,500 old diesel and petrol vehicles that are not authorised to operate in Delhi," read a note he tweeted.
Since October 1, the government has received more than 2,000 complaints on the Green Delhi app. Of these, 90 percent have been resolved. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had launched the mobile application in October 2020 using which citizens can bring pollution-causing activities to the government's notice.
Rai said 586 teams have been monitoring the compliance of dust pollution control norms at construction and demolition sites. A total of 6,866 sites were inspected till October 24. Violations were noticed at 276 of them and 253 challans issued. "On September 14, we banned the use of firecrackers. We launched a public awareness campaign 'Diye Jalao, Patakhe Nahi". The citizens of Delhi supported the ban on firecrackers and this year we had the cleanest Diwali in seven years," the note read.
The minister said the government is spraying bio-decomposer -- a microbial solution which can turn stubble into manure in 15-20 days -- in agricultural fields for free. Around 3,200 acres of area has already been covered. Of the more than 1600 industries in Delhi, not a single unit is operating on unclean or unauthorised fuel. (PTI)
