Task force ask corporates to encourage employees to work from home to reduce vehicular pollution

A Central Pollution Control Board-led task force has recommended a host of measures to reduce vehicular pollution in the next few months, including encouraging employees in corporates to work from home or use public transport.

The task force recommended that corporates and government offices should encourage employees to use public transport or car-pooling, CPCB member secretary Prashant Gargava told reporters.

A meeting of the task force, which was convened on Friday, also advised schools to make arrangements for picking up or dropping children together by buses to reduce use of private vehicles, Gargava said.

"We have issued an advisory to corporates, including the IT sector, to encourage its employees to work from home in the next few months so as to reduce pollution caused due to traffic congestion in the national capital," Gargava said.

In the next few days, wind speed would be low due to which the air quality might not improve and pollution level may keep oscillating between 'poor' and 'very' poor categories, he said.

Air Quality Index score between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe.

Ten out of the 37 air quality monitoring stations in Delhi recorded AQI in the "very poor" category on Thursday.

At the review meeting, Gargava said the 10-member CPCB task force on the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which lists measures to be followed as per air pollution levels in Delhi-NCR, asked state pollution control boards to remain vigilant and closely monitor air quality.

The task force also asked agencies to ensure immediate actions for paving of roads and control of road dust.

The power supply companies have been requested to provide uninterrupted electricity to prevent use of DG sets during winter months, he said.

In the last three review meetings of the task force, a specific action plan has been developed to deal with pollution caused due to unpaved roads, dumping of waste and heavy vehicles, another CPCB official said.

He said day and night patrolling and monitoring in high emission or priority areas has also been intensified.