Gurugram gears up to tackle pollution

Gurugram district administration has geared up to tackle the high level of pollution and decided to take a slew of measures.

The decision has been taken after the high levels of PM2.5 are found in Gurugram.

PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which is about 3 percent the diameter of a human hair.

All private and government schools are to be closed for next 2 days - 10-11th November. All brick kilns, hot mix plants and stone crushers have been shut down till further orders, said the administration.

As the entry of heavy goods traffic has been banned into Delhi by Delhi government, Gurugram traffic police will be diverting heavy traffic from entering into Delhi. Some traffic congestion on NH 48 is expected for which sufficient traffic duties are being deployed.

If current situation persists for next 48 hours, decision will be taken to stop construction activities, said the administration.

"To intensify public transport, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Haryana Roadways have been directed to increase number of trips. Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has been asked to do mechanised sweeping and sprinkling of water in both day and night on road stretches with high dust generation. If situation persists for next 48 hours, then decision will be taken to enhance parking fee by 3-4 times," said the administration.

It further added: "Use of coal/fire wood has been banned in hotels and open eateries. The Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) and house owners will have to provide electric heaters to security staff during winters to avoid open burning by them. Residents are advised to use swachhta app to report cases of burning of garbage. Special teams have been formed to enforce this."

Apart from it, police have been directed to take swift action against visibly polluting vehicles along with strict enforcement of PUC (pollution under control) norms.

The MCG and Haryana State Pollution Control Board have been directed to stringently enforce rules for dust control in construction activities and impose fines.