Considering banning industrial activities at NCR pollution hotspots when air quality is severe EPCA

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority Friday said they are seriously considering banning industrial, construction and demolition activities at major pollution hotspots in Delhi-NCR when air quality levels reach 'severe' category.

The Central Pollution Control Board-led task force on November 22 recommended to the EPCA that industrial, construction and demolition activities should be banned in major hotspot areas when air quality levels reach 'severe' category.

In a meeting on Friday with various oil and gas companies, such as Adani gas, Haryana City Gas, IGL and GAIL, EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal lashed out at them asking the reason for not being able to switch to cleaner sources of energy for their operations.

"We are seriously considering a proposal from the CPCB to shut down industries in the area where the pollution reaches severe," EPCA member Sunita Narain said, adding, "The authority will write to industries asking for a breakup of their pricing of piped natural gas and what are the terms on which they supply it to the consumers."
Narain said, "We will keep pushing for switching to gas as there is no other option. We will also push the government to reduce VAT to make it cheaper by 20 per cent for industries."