Agencies dragged feet on EPCA orders
ACTION PLAN MCDS, DDA and Metro, which were initially reluctant to carry out the orders, announced hike in parking rates Wednesday
theairwe NEWDELHI: The municipal corporations, Delhi government agencies, Delhi Development Authority and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on Wednesday unilaterally agreed to increase parking rates in Delhi by four times, a day after stating that such ‘ decisions couldn’t be taken in a day or two’.
An increase in parking rates was proposed by the Supreme Court-mandated Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) on Tuesday as part of the Graded Response Action Plan when the pollution level had touched the 400 mark.
The Graded Response Action Plan lists out measures that agencies need to implement if the the air quality of a city deteriorates. It was notified on January 12 this year.
The EPCA has sweeping powers and not following the body’s directives translates to contempt of court. The stakeholders, sources said, agreed to implement the Graded Response Action Plan on Wednesday, only after L-G Anil Baijal held a meeting with them.
But even on Wednesday, DMRC remained non-committal on enforcement of the EPCA’S direction to slash ticket prices during off-peak hours, stating that it was not in its jurisdiction.
On Tuesday, as Delhi’s air quality index hit 448, the EPCA had announced a slew of meas- No. In 2016, AQI levels had shot up to 485 on November 5 and to 497 on November 6. On Wednesday the AQI was 478. This is the third worst smog after November 2016. In December 2016, when Delhi saw six days of severe pollution. This year, the AQI was severe a day after Diwali. On Tuesday, the AQI was 448 and on Wednesday it jumped to 478. Some experts say that it is just fog as smoke (SO2 and other organic gases) are within safe standards. Others say the grey colour of the fog suggests that it could be smog. ures, such as increasing parking rates and reducing Metro fares during peak hours. But, the civic agencies said they couldn’t hike parking fee hike without the approval of the House.
“You ask the Delhi government why the directives were not enforced immediately. You ask the chief minister. EPCA has issued all the directives it had to and we will do whatever it takes to get it implemented,” said Sunita Narain, member EPCA.
After Wednesday’s meeting with Baijal, South Delhi Municipal Corporation commissioner Puneet Goyal said EPCA recommendations will be implemented from Thursday. “Contractors initially refused to agree to the move Experts say that present meteorological conditions will get reversed by Friday. Surface winds, which are weak now, will get stronger by then.
This will help in dispersal of pollutants. Avoid outdoor activities. Close windows. Clean your room by wet mopping. Don’t do vacuum clean.
Stop any activity if you feel discomfortin your chest , unusual coughing, breathing difficulty and wheezing. Consult a doctor.
Avoid burning candles and incense sticks. Don’t turn on fresh air intake of AC as said people will instead end up parking in unauthorised areas. We managed to convince them today,” he said.
The south and east corporation officials also said that not following the EPCA’S recommendation would amount to “contempt of court.”
“The Delhi government is taking action. Delhi is doing far better in implementation of Graded Response Action Plan when compared to Ghaziabad, Gurgaon and Noida,” said an official from the environment department.
Measures like odd-even, banning entry of trucks and construction activities need to be implemented by the NCR cities simultaneously too.