Delhi govt bans firecrackers on Dussehra, to begin 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign to start from Oct 26 to tackle worsening air quality

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday announced that firecrackers have been banned in the national capital during Dussehra. He also appealed to Delhiites to cooperate in reducing air pollution, saying "whatever work we do will have an impact on us only." 

He also announced that the 'Red Light On, Gaadi Off' campaign will start from October 26. This campaign is aimed at reducing air pollution in the city by encouraging people to turn off their engines while waiting at red lights.

Rai added that odd-even vehicle rationing is not in consideration at the moment. Under the odd-even vehicle rationing scheme, private vehicles with registration plates ending in odd numbers ply on odd dates, and even numbers on even dates. 

Besides this, he also said that the government has decided to use dust suppressant powder for preventing dust pollution in the national capital. The minister had held a meeting with 28 departments to make sure that measures to curb pollution in Delhi are effectively implemented. 

This meeting came after Delhi's air quality reached the "very poor" category for the first time since May 17. Delhi's 24-hour average air quality index was at 313 on Sunday versus 248 on Saturday. 

He also said the number of pollution hotspots in the national capital has risen to 21 with the Delhi government identifying 8 more pollution hotspots in the national capital. 

"In addition to the 13 existing air pollution hotspots in Delhi, we are focusing on eight places where the AQI has exceeded the 300-mark. These locations include Shadipur, ITO, Mandir Marg, Nehru Nagar, Patparganj, Sonia Vihar, Dhyan Chand Stadium and Moti Bagh," he told a press conference. 

Existing pollution hotspots in Delhi are Anand Vihar, Mundka, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, RK Puram, Rohini, Punjabi Bagh, Okhla, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Narela, Ashok Vihar and Dwarka. 

(With inputs from Pankaj Jain)

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