Air pollution: Centre should participate so that we get help from other states, says Gopal Rai

New Delhi [India], October 8 (ANI): I believe the Central government should actively participate on the issue of air pollution in the Delhi-NCR region so that we can get help from other states and resolve this problem, said Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday.
"Recently, there was a meeting with ministers of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and UP along with Union Minister Prakash Javadekar over air pollution. We can only seek help, I believe the Centre should actively participate so that we get help from other states," said Rai.
Rai's remark comes after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal began an initiative at war level to monitor reports on pollution coming from other States.
"To control pollution in Delhi, Delhi CM has started an initiative at war level. It is not possible for one particular agency to control it so we have started a centralised war room at Secretariat that will coordinate with all agencies of Delhi to control pollution. There are three screens which will analyse the 40 real-time monitors," said Rai.
He said that one of the screens will monitor PM 2.5, PM 10, wind speed etc, the second screen will monitor 13 hotspots of Delhi and the third screen will monitor Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) reports on pollution coming from other States.
Last week, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar spoke about the issue of air pollution, and stubble burning in the Delhi-NCR region. He had said that the good air days in the region had increased in recent days as compared to the past.
"As per the presentation showed in the meeting, good air days increased to 182 in 2019 from 108 in 2016 and bad air days reduced to 183 from 246 in 2016. This was made possible because of several factors, apart from stubble burning, construction, dust, unpaved roads, among others in Delhi-NCR," Javadekar said.
He had informed that the Delhi government has been suggested to focus on pollution hotspots like Bawana, Narela, Mundka, Punjabi Bagh, RK Puram, among other areas, and complete untarred roads, apart from state authorities of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana for the hotspots falling in their jurisdiction. (ANI)