Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said on Tuesday that implementing work from home policy in Delhi-NCR and closing down industries are some of the steps suggested by the Delhi government in a meeting of the Commission for Air Quality Management.
Gopal Rai said the government’s anti-vehicular campaign, titled, ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’, that was scheduled to come to an end on November 18 has been extended for another 15 days.
"'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign (to curb vehicle pollution) which ends on November 18 will be extended by 15 days - Second phase from November 19 to December 3,"
"In today's meeting with officials of Punjab, Haryana, UP, Haryana, we (Delhi govt) proposed that WFH should be implemented in NCR regions; construction work should be banned, industries should be shut too (in NCR)," he added.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday had announced various emergency measures, including the closure of schools for a week, a ban on construction activities and work from home for government employees, to deal with the pollution crisis faced by the city.
"On Monday, DPCC teams went to see whether the measures are being implemented and they found that the construction work has been stopped," Rai told reporters.
The Supreme Court on Monday had directed the Commission For Air Quality Management to hold a joint meeting and on Tuesday, the states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh participated in the meeting.
"In the meeting, Delhi government officials suggested implementing work from home policy in Delhi-NCR, ban on construction work and ban on industries so that pollution levels can be controlled. The other states have also put forth their views and we are waiting for an official notification from the commission," Rai said in the briefing.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
