NEW DELHI
With the Delhi government failing to control the “severe” air pollution in the city, the Delhi government, led by the Aam Adami Party (AAP), has decided to deploy its ministers to ensure that all Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-related restrictions are enforced properly on the ground.
Addressing the press, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said: “Over the next week, there is a high chance that wind conditions will remain the same. In these circumstances, what we can do is control the sources of pollution.” He added: “We have been getting news that GRAP-related restrictions are not being followed strictly on the ground. The challenges faced in implementing restrictions on the ground have been discussed. Activity that should be seen on the ground is not seen. Ministers have expressed their disappointment over the administrative negligence and laxity. To monitor this, we have decided that ministers will get on the ground.”Rai said he will be on the ground in the north and northeast districts, while Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot has been assigned the southwest and west districts; PWD Minister Atishi Marlena will oversee the east and southeast districts; Saurabh Bharadwaj in the south and New Delhi districts; Imran Hussain in the Central and Shahdara districts; and Raaj Kumar Anand in the northwest district. Environment minister Rai said that all the ministers will focus on visits to the entry points of the city, like the Singhu border, Ghazipur border, Kapashera border, Gurgaon border, and Bahadurgarh border. Except for this, they (the ministers) will also visit the construction sites, where dust control measures should be ensured even if construction remains banned. Bus depots will also be visited. Senior officials and department heads have also been asked to get on the ground, Gopal Rai said.
Not only this, but the Delhi government is planning to implement cloud seeding to induce artificial rain to control air pollution in Delhi. A source said the Delhi government is ready to bear the entire expense for inducing artificial rain to control air pollution in the national capital. The government also aims to implement artificial rain in the city by 20 November.