Dushyant Chautala urges Centre to lift ban on operation of brick kilns in NCR

Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala on Saturday asked the Centre to immediately lift the National Green Tribunal ban on the operation of brick kilns in NCR, saying the environment has become largely clean during the nationwide lockdown.

Chautala, whose Jannayak Janta Party is a coalition partner of the BJP in Haryana, made this demand during a meeting of Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Singh Tomar with states' rural development ministers via video conference, an official statement said.

"During the nationwide lockdown period, the environment in NCR has become largely clean and over 57 per cent of Haryana's area falls under the region," Chautala said.

The National Green Tribunal had earlier this year directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to conduct a carrying capacity study of brick kilns in NCR and other regions and its impact on ambient air quality.

The NGT had said that brick kilns can be permitted only after ascertaining the carrying capacity and the number of units functional in an area without the risk of degrading the environment.

During the lockdown, the deputy chief minister said, MGNREGA workers should be allowed to engage in agricultural work, whether it is harvesting, loading-unloading in mandis or storing in godowns.

He also demanded that the central government make Aadhaar data available to the state through application programming interface to prevent double entries in wages being paid under the MGNREGA.

Chautala also informed Tomar that procurement of mustard in Haryana had started from April 15, while the purchase of wheat will begin from April 20.

The Union minister asked states to engage MGNREGA labourers in construction works under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

Tomar also appreciated the steps being taken by the states to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.