The brief for the task force is to ensure that the winter of 2018 becomes pollution free. Remedial action, therefore, is likely in the next few months
Delhi air pollution: A package of measures to reduce air pollution levels significantly in the National Capital Region (NCR) around Delhi by the winter of 2018 is expected to be formulated soon and implemented within a specified time frame.
NCR covers the whole of the National Capital Territory-Delhi (NCT-Delhi) and certain districts of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, covering about 53,817 sq km.
A high-level task force, headed by Nripendra Misra, principal secretary to the prime minister, has been set up to evaluate the feasibility of these measures. The task force has the Cabinet secretary, secretaries of half a dozen ministries of the Union government, chief secretary of the Delhi government and a couple of environment experts as members.
The brief for the task force is to ensure that the winter of 2018 becomes pollution free. Remedial action, therefore, is likely in the next few months.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is understood to have advised the task force that air pollution level of the NCR should improve to levels that prevail in any city of the developed world.
Among the measures that are likely to be implemented by the task force are complete shutdown of the Badarpur thermal plant, de-sulphurisation of thermal plants in areas adjoining the NCR, like Dadri, opening up of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway from January 2018 and a ban on the import of pet coke.
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