Delhi Government Suggests To Implement Work From Home Policy For Air Quality Management

The Delhi government has suggested to implement work from home, closing down industries among other measures in a meeting for the Commission for Air Quality Management held on Tuesday, as per reports.

The Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, "On Monday, DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) teams went to see whether the measures are being implemented and they found that the construction work has been stopped."

The Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal had directed on Saturday to close down the schools for a week and ban on construction. The government employees are supposed to start working from home to deal with the pollution crisis in the city.

Measures to be taken for Delhi pollution control:

This comes after the Supreme Court directed on Monday to the Commission for Air Quality Management to hold a joint meeting. On November 16, the states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh participated in the meeting.

Rai said that the Delhi government officials suggested to implement work from home policy in Delhi-NCR and ban on construction work and industries so that the pollution can be controlled. The other states present in the meeting also expressed their views now the authorities are waiting for the official notification from the commission. The meeting is reportedly going to lead to the emergence of a joint action plan. The minister has also asked the Union environment minister to clarify the confusion over the contribution of stubble burning in Delhi's pollution so as to effectively control it.

He asked, “Yesterday, the Centre filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that stubble burning contributes four per cent to pollution in the national capital. In the same affidavit, the Centre mentioned that in a meeting held with experts it was said that it contributes 35-40 per cent in the pollution levels. I want to urge the Union Environment minister to clear the facts. The same affidavit has two facts. Which is the correct figure."

He pointed out the figures released by the Ministry of Earth Sciences air quality monitor SAFAR from November 4 to November 14. He said, "The fire contribution was 25 per cent on November 4, 36 per cent on November 5, 41 per cent on November 6, 48 per cent on November 7, 30 per cent on November 8, 27 per cent on November 9 and 10, 26 per cent on November 11, 35 per cent on November 12, 31 per cent on November 13 and 12 per cent on November 14.

“Going by these figures, the average comes to 31 per cent. This is also data by the central government. We urge the Union environment minister to clear the air on the figures so that a correct strategy can be formulated,” he added.