Delhi pollution: Government to hire 1,000 private CNG buses to increase strength of public transport system

At the 13 air pollution hotspots in Delhi, water spraying systems of the fire brigade will be deployed in addition to the water sprinkling systems already in place.

The Delhi government will hire 1,000 private CNG buses to augment the public transport system as an emergency measure aimed at curbing vehicular pollution, said Environment Minister Gopal Rai.

Rai was speaking after a meeting with officials of different government departments Wednesday to discuss the implementation of the directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) late on Tuesday to deal with rising air pollution levels.

The process to hire the buses will begin Thursday. “Since buses and Metro are now running without permitting standing travel, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority will be asked to reconsider the order to increase the capacity of the existing public transport system,” Rai said.

At the 13 air pollution hotspots in Delhi, water spraying systems of the fire brigade will be deployed in addition to the water sprinkling systems already in place.

For action, the Transport Department has given a list of diesel vehicles older than 10 years and petrol vehicles older than 15 years to the police. Checking for Pollution Under Control certificates will also be intensified.

Industries still running on polluting fuels will be shut down. “The matter of pollution is not black and white,” Rai said. “There are two parts to Delhi’s pollution — one is from within and the other is from outside, which includes pollution from NCR and stubble burning and the governments need to find a solution to stubble burning, not farmers,” he added.

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