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With the arrival of winter in the national capital Delhi, the air quality starts deteriorating and the dense blanket of smog makes it difficult for people to breathe. To deal with this serious weather crisis and to prevent the capital’s climate from becoming poisonous, the Delhi government has formally announced strict decisions under its 10-point Winter Action Plan. From November 1, 50 percent work from home (WFH) is being compulsorily implemented in government and private offices of Delhi. Along with this, parking fees at authorized parking spots have been doubled in order to discourage the use of private vehicles. The main goal of these strict measures is to halve the vehicular pressure on the roads, eliminate the problem of traffic jams and bring about an immediate decline in the levels of PM 2.5 and PM 10. The Environment Department and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) have given clear instructions to all the administrative departments that this scheme should be implemented very strictly at the ground level, so that this time the people of Delhi can get better and breathable air as compared to the previous years. For a comprehensive analysis of administrative policies and environmental updates related to Delhi-NCR, you can visit: newsindialive.in You can get detailed information on.
The biggest rules implemented under the Winter Action Plan include orders related to the attendance of employees. From November 1 to February 28, all government and private offices in Delhi will be allowed to work physically with only 50 percent staff, while the remaining 50 percent staff will work from home. The government believes that this step will reduce the traffic of lakhs of employees on the roads every day, which will drastically reduce the toxic fumes emitted from vehicles. Not only this, to prevent outright accumulation of vehicles on the roads during peak hours, office timings have also been staggered. Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will open from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. At the same time, the administrative offices of Delhi Government (GNCTD) will be operated from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. This division of time will maintain balance between morning and evening traffic and will provide relief to the general public from long traffic jams at intersections.
A tough decision has been taken to double parking charges to reduce the number of private vehicles on Delhi roads and boost the public transport system. From November 1 to February 28, double the fee will be charged for two-wheelers and four-wheelers in all authorized parking lots under the Municipal Corporation, NDMC and other agencies. However, the government has provided major relief to daily commuters who use public transport. There has been no increase in parking fees at metro parking lots operated and managed by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). This simply means that people who park their vehicles at metro stations and travel by train will continue to get parking facilities at the old normal rates. The administration has a clear message that instead of running private cars on the roads, people should make maximum use of metro, DTC buses and electric mobility.
The contribution of vehicle emissions to winter pollution is extremely worrying. In view of this, the strict formula of ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ has already been implemented in Delhi-NCR. Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates of vehicles are being checked through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras and digital database at all petrol pumps in the capital. Those vehicles which do not have valid PUC certificate will not be given petrol or diesel. Under the Motor Vehicles Act, heavy challans of up to Rs 10,000 are also being issued if caught without a valid PUC. Transport Department teams are conducting surprise inspections at major entry points, borders and busy intersections of the city, so that overage and non-standard diesel-petrol vehicles do not enter the Delhi border.
Dust pollution in winter is a major reason for the Air Quality Index (AQI) to fall into the ‘severe’ category. To control this, phased restrictions have been imposed on construction and demolition activities. There will be a ban on open civil construction works and demolitions that generate dust from November 1 to January 31. At the same time, when the cold is at its peak in the months of December and January and the wind speed slows down, then there will be a complete ban on all types of construction and demolition works from December 10 to January 20. This time, cameras and drone technology equipped with Artificial Intelligence (AI) are being used to monitor big projects and building sites. Builders and contractors who break the rules have been warned of heavy environmental fines as well as site sealing.
Special deployment has been made at all the 13 identified pollution hotspots of Delhi—such as Anand Vihar, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Bawana and Narela—to settle the dust particles floating in the air. Mechanical road sweeping machines of the Municipal Corporation are busy cleaning the main roads day and night, while continuous spraying of water is being done through mobile and fixed anti-smog guns. Under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the rules will be further tightened as AQI levels change. The Delhi government has also appealed to the neighboring states of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab to stop incidents of stubble burning and keep a vigil on non-electric and non-CNG buses plying on the interstate level. The citizens of the capital have also been appealed not to burn garbage and ensure their personal participation in environmental protection.