Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai participates in the 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign. (Photo| Twitter)
Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai participates in the 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign. (Photo| Twitter)

AAP MLAs urge citizens to join anti-pollution campaign in Delhi

Environment minister Gopal Rai, who too reached the intersection, said that the AAP councillors would hold a similar public awareness campaign at Barakhamba Road intersection on October 25.

NEW DELHI:  Highlighting their government's effort to combat air pollution, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs gathered at the Chandgi Ram Akhara intersection of Civil Lines on Thursday and urged citizens to actively participate in the ongoing 'Red Light On Gaadi Off' campaign.

Launched on October 18, the Delhi government's drive is being prominently carried out at 100 traffic intersections spread across 13 police districts in the city. Groups of volunteers are deployed at major intersections like Tolstoy crossing on Barakhamba Road, ITO and Prithviraj Road crossing.

Environment minister Gopal Rai, who too reached the intersection, said that the AAP councillors would hold a similar public awareness campaign at Barakhamba Road intersection on October 25 to give further impetus to the campaign.

Delhi's pollution levels spike every year during October-November, mainly because of stubble burning in neighbouring Punjab and Haryana, he said. Satellite images show smoke from farm fires moving towards Delhi.

"The level of pollution had come down due to the rains as the burning of stubble had halted and now the incidents will increase again with the rains going away. We talked to the central and state governments about a solution, but there has been gross negligence on their part. If the bio-decomposer was sprayed, farmers would not be forced to burn stubble to clear their fields," he said.

A solution that decomposes stubble into manure within 15-20 days of it being sprayed on the paddy straw, the bio decomposer was used extensively in Delhi even though stubble burning within the city is just about one per cent.

Rai said that he will hold a joint meeting with the SDMs and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) on Friday to take the campaign ahead. "This campaign will be taken ahead to the mohalla level," Rai said.

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