Environment ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh will meet on October 1 to review the progress on air pollution management plans which were decided in 2016, said Union environment minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday.
They would meet MoEFCC and officials of CPCB to discuss the air pollution arising due to paddy stubble burning in the fields, especially in Punjab and Haryana.
“We came up with short term, medium term and long-term plans in 2016. We plan to review implementation of those plans and assess preparedness for this winter,” Javadekar said.
The minister also hopes that the states would participate in a “positive manner”, irrespective of “politics”, to deal with the situation.
Javadekar said that the Centre had accepted the air pollution problem and brought out policies to deal with it in the past four years. “The PM brought out the national air quality index (NAQI) so that people can easily understand pollution levels. Badarpur power plant was shut down and the Sonepat thermal power plant was also phased out. We built the peripheral expressway which was pending for 15 years. We introduced waste management rules 2016 which includes rules for construction and demolition waste, 3000 industries in the national capital region (NCR) have got piped gas supply. So we are working on all fronts,” said Javadekar, adding that Indian Council for Agricultural Research will conduct various trials this year to curb crop stubble burning.
State pollution control boards, municipal corporations and various urban bodies, such as Delhi Development Authority and New Delhi Municipal Council, will also attend the virtual meeting.
