Shri
M.Venakaiah Naidu asks 5 State to work together to mitigate suffering of people
of Delhi
NCR
States asked to improve forest cover by six times to take it to 20% of total
area
Definition
of Aravalli Hills to follow 1992 Notification of Ministry of Environment,
Forests & Climate Change extended to entire NCR
States
asked to speed up inter-State connectivity for seamless travel in NCR
Preparation
of NCR Regional Plan for 2041 to be initiated
National
Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) today reviewed in detail the measures
being taken by the four member States and Punjab to contain Air Pollution in
Delhi and directed them to submit detailed Action Plans in this regard. Union
Minister of State for Urban Development Rao Inderjit Singh, Chief Minister of Haryana
Shri Manohar Lal Khattar, Forests Minister of Haryana Rao Narvir Singh, Urban
Development Minister of Delhi Shri Satyanedra Jain, Chief Secretaries and
concerned senior officials of member other member States of Uttar Pradesh and
Rajasthan besides Punjab, Chairman of Central Pollution Control Board and
officials of State Pollution Control Boards attended the Board meeting chaired
by the Minister of Urban Development Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu. The Board will soon
file an affidavit in this regard before the High Court of Delhi.
Shri
Venkaiah Naidu said that air pollution in the National Capital of Delhi is a
matter of serious concern and all the five States should act in unison to
mitigate the suffering of the people being caused by air pollution.
The
States have given details of measures being taken to contain air pollution
being caused by stubble and biomass burning in the adjoining States of Delhi
and Punjab, burning of garbage, Solid Waste Management and road dust and
construction activities. The measures being taken included supply of equipment
for mechanical disposal of stubble and crop residues, biomass gasification,
imposition of fines for burning, management of sanitary landfills etc.
Chairman
of Central Pollution Control Board informed that an Action Plan has been
prepared under the directions of the Supreme Court in the context of high levels
of air pollution in Delhi in November this year which could be part of the
affidavit to be filed by NCRPB. This Plan relates to monitoring networks in
Delhi, centralized analysis of pollution data being collected by different
agencies, preventive actions and graded action plan.
The
Board asked the States to consider the ‘Comprehensive Study on Air Pollution
and Green House Gases in Delhi’ undertaken by the Indian Institute of Delhi,
Kanpur, commissioned by the Delhi Government to address air pollution problems
in NCT of Delhi by identifying major sources of air pollution, their
contribution to ambient air pollution level and develop a control plan to
reduce air pollution in Delhi.
This
Study in its Action Plan has recommended in a progressive manner; Managing crop
residue burning in Haryana, Punjab and other local biomass burning, Stopping
burning of Municipal Solid Waste, Wind breaking, water spraying and
reclamation, Retrofitting of Diesel Particulate Filters and implementation of
BS-VI for all diesel vehicles, Promotion of Electric/Hybrid vehicles, Reducing
Sulphur content in Industrial Fuel to less than 500 PPM, De-Sulpher Oxiding and
De-Nitrous Oxiding at power plants within 300 km radius of Delhi, Stopping use
of coal in 9,000 hotels/restaurants in Delhi, LPG to all, Vacuum sweeping of
major roads, Vertically covering the construction areas etc.
The
Board also discussed issues relating to forest cover in National Capital
Region, definition of forests and Aravalli Range and delineation of Natural
Conservation Zones and gave necessary clarifications.
Delhi,
Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been asked to increase forest and
tree cover in the National Capital Region gradually in a phased manner to 20%
of total geographical area while expressing concern over present cover of only
3.30% in 2012 declining from 4.30% in 1999. Forest and tree cover is to be
increased through conservation of entire Aravalli range spread in Delhi,
Haryana and Rajasthan, including its foothills up to appropriate extent for
ground water recharge and to maintain over all environmental balance,
afforestation wherever feasible, including in land parcels of Aravallis that
have scarce vegetation, creation of green buffers around lakes, water bodies
and ponds, waste lands, village common lands, along road sides and railway
lines etc.
Regarding
definition of forest, member States have been asked to go by the provisions of
existing statutes and laws till the Ministry of Environment, Forests and
Climate Change finalizes the same with the approval of the Supreme Court. Delhi
considers a land parcel of one hectare as forest if it has 100 natural grown
trees.
Polluting
red category industries may be given an opportunity to adopt pollution control
measures failing which they need to be relocated in specified industrial areas.
The Board said that while preparing Master Plan and Development Plans and
demarcating urbanisable areas, member States should ensure that such industries
should be located in the most optimum and strategic manner in suitably planned
areas, taking into consideration the future growth directions and economic
profiles of settlements, so that adverse environmental impacts can be minimized.
The
Board also clarified the position regarding demarcation of Aravalli range and
delineation of Natural Conservation Zones (NCZ). It said that the Notification
issued by the Ministry of Environment & Forests in 1992 has clearly
explained for districts of Gurgaon in Haryana and Alwar in Rajasthan for
regulating certain processes and operations in specified areas of Aravalli
range and this notification would guide identification and delineation of
Aravallis in the entire National Capital Region.
States
were also told that delineation of Nature Conservation Zones including
Aravallis in Sub-regional Plans should be based on ground truthing and
verification of revenue records by the States. NCRPB has no role in such
delineation.
The
Board made it clear that Natural Conservation Zones are the major natural
features identified as environmentally sensitive areas which include the
extension of Aravalli ridge in NCT of Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan, forest
areas, the rivers and tributaries of Yamuna, Ganga, Kali, Hindon and Sahibi,
sanctuaries, major lakes and water bodies such as Badkal lake, Suraj Kund and
Damdama in Haryana Sub-region and Siliserh lake in Rajasthan.
The
Board stated that while the Regional Plan-2021 for National Capital Region prepared
by the National Capital Regional Planning Board and notified in 2005 stipulated
major policies regarding broad land uses, detailed land use planning and land
allocation should be demarcated by respective member States in their Sub
Regional Plans as per the existing statutes and laws.
The
Board accepted the conclusions arrived in the several inter-ministerial
meetings chaired by Secretary(UD) Shri Rajiv Gauba on issues relating to
definition of forest, Aravalli range, delineation of Natural Conservation Zones
since June this year.
The
Board has authorized the NCRPB Secretariat to initiate preparation of Regional
Plan-2041 for NCR Region.
The
Board discussed 14 inter-State connectivity links with the aim of facilitating
seamless travel in the National Capital Region which is necessary for ensuring
balanced development of the region. Respective States have been asked to take
up immediate measures like land acquisition etc. These inter-State links
include:
1.Kalindi
By-pass road from Ashram Chowk, Delhi to Faridabad By-pass
2.
Eighty meter Dwarka Link in Zonal Plan K-II connecting Gurgaon that would
traffic load on NH-8
3.Mehrauli
–Guragaon Road to be developed as NH-236 to ease traffic on NH-8, now
redesignated as NH-48
4.Connecting
Nelson Mandela T-Point at Vasant Kunj with the existing Gurgaon-Mehrauli Road
to reduce travel time
5.Upgrading
Gwal Pahari Mandi Gadaipur-Jaunpur Road up to Andheria Mor in Delhi
6.Bawana
Auchandi Marg in Haryana to be extended as State Highway-18
7.Road
from Ring Road (Inder Lok Metro Station) and existing Yamuna Canal Link Road up
to Haryana border
8.Bridge
over Yamuna between Chhaprauli and Hathwada village in Haryana.
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AAR/KM