Issues like stubble burning ( Parali) in Punjab during winters, increased supply of water to the national capital from dams in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and pollution in the Yamuna, especially on account of drains flowing in and from Gurugram, Bahadurgarh and Sonepat in Haryana were discussed at the Northern Zonal Council meeting, chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Amritsar on Tuesday.
The successful completion of G20 event and the efforts undertaken in here in terms of infrastructure, security, revamp and beautification were also discussed. The issue of inter-state security and the dimensions attached to it due to porous borders, that included drug-trafficking, cyber-crime and inter-state movement of criminals was also discussed in the meeting, the LG office said in a statement.
During the meeting, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena informed the council members that a template of the same had been developed, which could be used and put to practice by all other States / Union Territories. Saxena is reported to have requested all neighbouring States to work in tandem to address this issue that chokes Delhi/NCR’s air every winter.
Sources at Raj Niwas said he is believed to have brought out the fact that even after the issue being flagged and discussed in the last zonal council meeting at Jaipur in 2022, the issue remained unaddressed, especially on part of Punjab.
Saxena underlined that, while other states that included Rajasthan, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (which is not a part of NZC), had undertaken substantial efforts to address the menace, despite him having written to the Punjab Chief Minister on November 04, 2022, smoke from the state had led to making the national capital gasp under acute air pollution.
The LG informed the gathering that, as far as local causes of air pollution are concerned, Delhi had taken several mitigating measures in the shape of End-to-End Carpeting and greening of pavements to prevent dust pollution, banning construction activities and using water sprinklers / anti-smog guns to address the issue during its peak.
Similarly, 500 electric buses were introduced into the public transport system and more were on the way. He strongly urged the neighbouring states to use technology interventions to contain air pollution at the source itself.