Centre suggests accelerated implementation to curb pollution in a time-bound manner

Centre reviewed measures taken by the Haryana govt to address the issue of air pollution

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Friday reviewed measures taken by the Haryana govt to address the issue of air pollution in Delhi-NCR, and emphasised the need for “accelerated implementation, stronger inter-agency coordination and strict enforcement” to ensure substantial reduction in pollution before the onset of the winter season when stubble burning and meteorological conditions raise the levels of pollutants.The meeting, chaired by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav in Gurugram, held extensive discussions on Haryana’s air pollution action plan and multiple steps, which are being taken, with particular focus on legacy waste, road dust, industrial pollution and strengthening the infrastructure to enable accelerated EV adoption.Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini and senior officials of the state govt attended the meeting.“The window before the winter season must be fully utilized to implement pollution control measures in mission mode. Timely execution, effective coordination and strict enforcement will be critical to achieving visible improvements in Delhi-NCR’s air quality,” said Yadav while emphasising the urgency of timely action.On critical issue of stubble burning that increases level of air pollutants in Delhi-NCR during every winter, Yadav urged the state govt to bridge gaps in procurement of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery and accelerate establishment of Custom Hiring Centres.He also emphasised the need for intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns and farmer training programmes to promote effective use of CRM equipment. He suggested that local elected representatives identify stubble-burning hotspots in coordination with Gram Panchayats, and asked District Collectors to survey industrial units and document their crop residue storage and consumption capacities to facilitate efficient demand-supply management.“The state authorities were also advised to ensure adequate availability of crop residue balers,” said a statement from the environment ministry on the review meeting.It said, “The minister also reviewed progress on construction and demolition waste management and requested that the establishment of Secondary Collection Centres for C&D waste be expedited. He also stressed that liquidation of legacy waste should be undertaken on a war footing.”Referring to municipal solid waste (MSW) and biomass burning, Yadav called for the constitution of dedicated task forces and emphasized achieving 100% collection of municipal solid waste and biomass to eliminate littering and prevent open burning.On the issue of End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles, Yadav requested the authorities to expedite issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for transfer of eligible EoL vehicles outside the NCR, while simultaneously encouraging scientific scrapping of old and unfit vehicles. He also called for faster replacement of old polluting vehicles with electric vehicles under the ‘Parivartan’ scheme.“The minister requested that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras be installed at all fuel stations for effective implementation of the ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ initiative. Stressing the need to improve urban traffic management, Yadav asked the authorities to identify traffic congestion hotspots on a mission mode and implement suitable mitigation measures at the earliest,” said the official statement.Reviewing industrial pollution control measures, Yadav stressed the need for accelerated installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) across industrial units.