Delhi CM unveils action plan to reduce air pollution in 4 years

New Delhi, Jan 16 (PTI) The Delhi government is working to substantially reduce PM 2.5 levels over a period of four years, in its fight against air pollution, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Friday. After heading a high-level meeting, Gupta laid out an action plan involving multiple departments and directed officials to work in a "clear, measurable and result-oriented" way. PM 2.5 are fine particles in the air which are inhalable, posing significant health risks because they penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, causing respiratory and cardiovascular issues. "The fight against pollution is a long one; our government is working on a clear, measurable and result-oriented action plan to substantially reduce air pollution (PM 2.5) levels over a period of four years," Gupta said.

Expanding its existing EV bus fleet, introducing smart pricing at parking facilities to discourage excessive use of private vehicles, increasing overall green cover, and decongesting 62 traffic congestion hotspots are some of the key features of the government's air pollution action plan.

Focusing on traffic congestion becoming pollution hotspots, the Delhi government will deploy 1200 Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) employees to assist the Delhi Traffic Police. "To reduce emissions from traffic jams, 62 congestion points have been identified, of which immediate improvement work has been initiated at 30. The Delhi government has provided 1,200 additional personnel from DTC to the traffic police," Gupta added. To tackle road dust, which is one of the major contributors to pollution, the government approved the deployment of mechanised road cleaning and dust suppression measures.

"The government has approved the deployment of 70 additional mechanical road sweeping machines to expand coverage on narrow roads (less than 60 feet wide). This initiative is part of a Rs 2,300 crore project," said officials.

As part of the road recarpetting, the government has committed a Rs 6000 crore plan under which a total of about 3,300 kilometres of road length in Delhi needs to be reconstructed or improved. "This includes 800 km of PWD roads, 1,200 km of Municipal Corporation roads and 1,000 km of roads in unauthorised colonies," the chief minister said further. Under the government's plan, a fleet of 250 water sprinkler-cum-anti-dust machines will be deployed across the city for regular dust suppression on major roads and lanes. This project will also be executed on a 10-year OPEX model with an approved financial outlay of Rs 2,000 crore, she said further. According to the government, to enhance green cover, 3.5 million trees will be planted in the Delhi Ridge area over the next four years, with a target of 1.4 million trees in the current year. In addition, 365 acres of 'brown park' areas will be developed. To discourage excessive use of private vehicles in congested areas, large-scale expansion of parking infrastructure and introduction of smart pricing are being planned. According to the plan, to manage the rising number of vehicles and traffic pressure, smart parking management has been made a key component of the pollution control strategy. "Large-scale expansion of parking infrastructure is planned, with the introduction of smart pricing. This will discourage excessive use of private vehicles in congested areas and encourage a shift towards public transport," the plan states. Given land constraints, multi-level parking facilities will be promoted in commercial areas, transit-oriented zones and high-footfall locations, it added. The number of public charging and battery-swapping points will be increased from the existing 9,000 to 36,000. Focusing on last-mile connectivity, the government plans to increase electric metro feeder buses and e-autos, bike taxis and feeder cabs at major metro stations. PTI SSM MPL MPL