Delhi's time to smile! Air pollution gets a slight downfall with strict laws

New Delhi, November 5: In a vouch to combat pollution in the capital city, New Delhi which is ought to be the favourite city of pollution has a good news for this festive season. With the launch of Clean Air Campaign in the start of this month, around 80 lakh rupees penalty was imposed on violators in the last two days by teams deployed to monitor implementation of measures to combat pollution in Delhi-NCR.

 

In a statement, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said, the teams are visiting different parts of Delhi and adjacent towns of Faridabad, Gurugram, Ghaziabad and Noida.

It said, the highest number of complaints were related to illegal construction and demolition activities. A ten-day-long Clean Air Campaign was launched by Environment Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Thursday to monitor and report polluting activities as well as to ensure quick action.

Based on 465 complaints, a total fine of Rs 41,82,500 was imposed on Saturday itself by 52 teams in the national capital which has witnessed deteriorating air quality in the past two weeks, said the Central Pollution Control Board.

Delhi’s air pollution level dipped slightly Saturday but remained in the “very poor” category due to control measures by authorities and stagnant meteorological conditions but officials warned of deterioration in air quality to “severe” levels from Monday.

The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of Delhi was recorded at 336, which falls in the “very poor” category, according to data of the CPCB.