Delhi's environment minister also announced more anti-pollution measures, including the deployment of more than 6,000 MCD staff for road dust control, and 1,800 traffic personnel at congestion points
Meity officials support the view of associations representing manufacturers
Petrol pump owners on Thursday wrote to Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, seeking a meeting with him to revise PUCC rates for Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates in the national capital. The letter comes days after the Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) shut down nearly 600 PUC centres functioning at petrol pumps, saying the hike was not commensurate with operational costs. On July 11, the Delhi government increased the PUC certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years. The hike ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 40. "Sir, most of the PUC centres have operated the last few years in losses to avoid any inconvenience to the general public. However, due to this extreme unviability, many PUC centres have been forced to surrender their licenses in the last few months. The Managing Committee of the DPDA had thus resolved to close PUC centres across Delhi from July 15 in light of the "arbitrary and grossly insufficient hike", it said.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday alleged that Lt Governor V K Saxena scuttled the efforts of the Arvind Kejriwal government to make Delhi pollution-free by allowing the feeling of 1,100 trees in the Satbari ridge area without permission. There was no immediate reaction from LG office to the allegation. Addressing a press conference here, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar said that in the last 10 years, the Aam Aadmi Party government has taken many long-term and short-term steps to control pollution in Delhi. "One such long-term measure is planting trees. The Delhi government has brought Delhi's green cover to a historic high in the last 10 years and Delhi's green cover is now about 24 per cent. "In the last four years, two crore trees have been planted in Delhi. As many as 17 city forests exist in Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party government is creating six more forests in Delhi," she said. The AAP leader said that the Delhi government is developing "city forests" near the metro sta
Petrol pump owners said PUC centres will be shut from Monday onwards, expressing their dissatisfaction over the recent proposed hike in rates of pollution certificates by the city government. The operation of the pollution under control (PUC) centres is unviable, they said in a statement issued on Sunday. Delhi government on Thursday increased the PUC certificate charges for petrol, CNG and diesel vehicles after a gap of about 13 years. The hike ranges between Rs 20 and Rs 40. The new rates will be effective as soon as it is notified by the Delhi government, Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot had said. In a statement issued, the Delhi Petrol Dealers' Association (DPDA) said, "Since the operation of PUC centres is unviable, many PUC centres have surrendered their licenses in the last few months. The managing committee of the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association has thus resolved to close PUC centres at their retail outlets across Delhi from July 15 in light of arbitrary and grossly ...
Industries, including firms in the micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector, are finding it difficult to survive the competition due to higher costs compared to neighbouring states
The Amended Rules also states that a government-owned vehicle or a vehicle seized by law enforcement, will not be eligible for any incentives
The government allocated Rs 9,631 crore to reduce the levels of particles with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or smaller by 40 per cent in 131 cities by 2026 from the 2017 levels
Can artificial rain dissipate toxins in the air? As the skies over several parts of north India turn blue again and pollution levels improve from 'severe' but continue to be 'very poor', the question of whether cloud seeding can really be a long-term solution gathers urgency. It is a tempting prospect and nothing more, say scientists, stressing on the need to tackle the problem at its root. Artificial rain is not just expensive - an estimated Rs 1 crore to induce rain in an approximate 100 square kilometre area - but also offers temporary respite. The respite artificial rain offers is short-lived... the return of polluted air swiftly restores hazardous levels, highlighting the need for more sustainable solutions, Sunil Dahiya, an analyst with the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, told PTI. Artificial rain can't be induced to last for days and over such large geography as NCR or north India which limits its usage as air pollution reduction technology for the region, he ...
CPCL shall also be liable to pay compensation to the families adversely impacted due to the oil spillage, including the loss of livelihood, it said
This comes after NGT going through the reports filed by various states on the implementation of comprehensive mitigation measures for the prevention, control, and reduction of air pollution
The National Green Tribunal has directed all states and Union territories to file reports regarding the actual staff strength in state pollution control boards and pollution control committees. The tribunal also sought a report regarding the infrastructure in their environmental laboratories. The NGT was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu ( on its own) cognisance of a media report claiming that the pollution control boards (PCBs) across the country did not have the resources to perform their functions. The report cited several reasons, including inadequate sanctioned strength of personnel, a high number of vacancies especially in technical positions and the absence of proper training. In a recent order, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said, "The news item raises a substantial issue affecting the compliance of environmental laws." The bench said according to a Central Pollution Control Board report, the news report ab
"We are at a pivotal moment in this process," said Andres Del Castillo, a senior attorney of the Center for International Environmental Law who is an observer to the negotiations
Earlier, Delhi Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj said on Wednesday that there is a need for the Central government to sit with states and make a long-term plan to curb pollution in Northern India
Starting from October 1, the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) will be applicable to exports of cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, and hydrogen to the EU
Kejriwal said the Pusa bio decomposer that prevents stubble burning will be sprayed on 5,000 hectares of farmland this year
An organisation of fireworks manufacturers in West Bengal on Wednesday said around 100 member-units will soon commence producing 'green fireworks' conforming to safety guidelines prescribed by National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) at special clusters coming up in South 24 Parganas district. Prabesh Atasbaji Byabasayee Samity (PABS) Secretary Sukhdeb Naskar told PTI, the association had discussions with officials of the environment department, fire services department, West Bengal Pollution Control Board and police in this regard. The guidelines prescribe ensuring a below-90 decibel sound and lower emission of harmful chemicals and have been formulating after several court judgements. While 20 fireworks makers have already received approval from NEERI as well as license from the environment ministry for manufacturing green fireworks conforming to the norms, at least 80 others have been given training in technology needed to produce green fireworks. "These 80
Easing of proximity norms will not only impact air and water quality but could also turn vast tracts of farm land barred, say experts
Delhi's air quality index reached hazardous levels. Punjab's share in farm fires is maximum this time. So why has the govt failed in reining in the stubble burning in the state? Here's our report