‘Land owning agencies must step up vigil to prosecute offenders’

NEW DELHI: Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain on Tuesday directed various land owning agencies in the city to speed up vigil at sites under their jurisdiction to prosecute offenders who violate norms by burning leaves, garbage etc in the open during winter months.

Hussain, who held a meeting on Tuesday with all concerned agencies including DDA, MCDS, and Revenue Department, expressed his concern that most of them have not taken adequate action to prosecute violators.

In a statement, government said that during the meeting, the municipal corporations were also not in a position to cite a single instance where the sanitary staff or horticulture staff has been held responsible for failing to take action against the burning of leaf/waste/plastic material in the open. In the meeting, the minister also directed DDA and Delhi Metro to increase vigil at the sites under their jurisdiction and prosecute the offenders.

Hussain observed that all the land owning agencies need to speed up action against the violators in the winter season especially from December to February when due to foggy conditions, the tendency to develop smog in the atmosphere increases which adversely impacts the environment and human beings.

The NGT has already put complete prohibition on burning of garbage, dry leaves, waste, plastic, rubber etc and has also directed for complying with dust control measure norms at construction sites.