NEW DELHI: In a bid to reduce pollution in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai held a joint meeting with the officials of all concerned departments to reduce pollution at Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday.
He highlighted the success of pollution-curbing initiatives of the state at the meeting and even mentioned the increase in the number of good air quality days from 109 in 2016 to 200 in 2023.
Addressing the media in a press conference, Rai outlined the key aspects of the ‘Hotspot action plan’. “Under the leadership of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, the Delhi government has been actively working to combat air pollution,” he said.
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Rai emphasised the importance of monitoring hotspots, where pollution tends to escalate during the winter season.
“Monitoring of the hotspot is the main focus point, during the winter season, the level of pollution in the hot spots increases, regarding which, a joint meeting was held with the officials of the concerned departments today.
Separate action plans have been made for hot spots, as well as a nodal department has also been identified for this, which will work to reduce pollution here,” he added.
Rai detailed the action plans for some of the prominent hotspots. The hotspots have been identified as Anand Vihar Hotspot, Ashok Vihar Hotspot, Bawana Hotspot, Dwarka Hotspot, Dwarka Hotspot, Jahangirpuri Hotspot, Narela Hotspot, Okhla Hotspot, Punjabi Bagh Hotspot, R.K. Puram Hotspot, Vivek Vihar Hotspot, Wazirpur Hotspot.
To address this concern, separate action plans have been formulated for the identified hotspots, with the establishment of 13 coordination teams each. The minister revealed that the nodal departments have been assigned to each of them to lead efforts in pollution reduction.
Rai assured that these comprehensive plans and coordination teams, along with the deployment of 60 anti-smog guns, reflect the government’s commitment to combatting pollution and ensuring cleaner air for Delhi residents.
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The concerted efforts aim to address specific sources of pollution in each hotspot, contributing to the overall improvement of air quality in the capital.