Anti-pollution plan to be notified by end of March
PREPARED Comprehensive Action Plan provides a timebound, shortterm action plan for controlling air pollution in Delhi and NCR
NEW DELHI: The Comprehensive Action Plan (CAP), which provides a time-bound, short-term action plan for controlling air pollution in Delhi and NCR, is likely to be notified by the end of this month, officials said.
“The timeline for some of the actions mentioned under CAP have already been fixed. The entire plan would be notified by the end of March 2018,” Union environment secretary C K Mishra said.
The action plan comprises a set of time-bound, short-term, priority actions and those set to be implemented in a medium- to long-term frame to cut down pollution at its source. The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was a part of the measures under the comprehensive action plan .
According to the new plan, Delhi needs to cut down its PM10 levels by 74%, PM2.5 by 70% and NO2 by more than 37% to meet the clean air standards.
“It is a very important step ahead and lays the foundation of future actions (to curb pollution). Once CAP is notified, it would become a legal document. It gives a clear outline of the actions to be taken, the timeline and the agencies that are responsible,” said Sunita Narain, mem- ber of the Supreme Court-appointed panel Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA).
The measures under CAP were drafted by the EPCA in consultation with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC). The Supreme Court had, in December 2017, directed the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MOEF) to notify and implement the action plan.
The timelines and agencies responsible for some measures under CAP such as setting up of monitoring stations across NCR, improving bus and Metro services, converting brick kilns to the cleaner zig-zag technology, among others, have already been fixed, officials said.
The timelines are being fixed for a few other measures such as preparing and implementing zonal plans for developing a nonmotorised transport network, rationalising entry taxes in NCR and introducing battery-operated vehicles in targeted segments of two-wheelers, threewheelers and buses, before the plan is officially notified.
“The onus of implementation will be on the ministry of environment and forest. EPCA is happy to note that the Union secretary for environment and forest is taking a proactive role to implement the plan through the governments of NCR states,” said Narain.