State environment ministers to meet on Oct 1 to review 2016 air pollution plans: Javadekar

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday informed that Environment ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan will meet on October 1 to review air pollution manment plans decided in 2016. meeting will also be attended by state pollution control boards, municipal corporations and various or urban bodies. meeting comes with issue of stubble burning in backdrop which causes immense air pollution yearly in rrn states of India. 

“We came up with short term, medium term and long-term plans in 2016. We plan to review implementation of those plans and assess preparedness for this winter,” Prakash Javadekar said on Tuesday.

Apprising of Centre's steps to tackle pollution, Javadekar added that two meetings with rthwestern states were also held in past month. He highlighted that Centre had accepted air pollution problem and brought out policies to deal with it in past four years. 

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“ PM brought out national air quality index (NAQI) so that people can easily understand pollution levels. Badarpur power plant was shut down, Sonepat rmal power plant was also phased out, we built peripheral expressway which was pending for 15 years. expressway ensured that 60,000 trucks which passed through Delhi polluting it to reach or states could bypass Delhi; BS VI emission standards have been introduced and BS VI fuel is also available," Javadekar said. 

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"We introduced waste manment rules 2016 which includes rules for construction and demolition waste, 3000 industries in national capital region (NCR) have got piped gas supply. So we are working on all fronts,” he added. 

Delhi CM writes to Javadekar 

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has written to Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change Prakash Javadekar over issue of stubble burning. Apprising Union Minister of yearly issue, Kejriwal informed that Indian Agricultural Research Institue (IARI) scientists have developed a solution to tackle pollution caused by stubble burning. Delhi CM added that scientists have developed a chemical which when sprayed on stubble will be converted to compost. 

" scientists are saying that germs in-ground die due to burning of stubble. Due to which land is deprived of its crop-growing abilities. But if mentioned chemical is used n stubble can be converted into a compost which can n be used as a fertilizer and land will be rich of nutrients," Kejriwal wrote in his letter to Javadekar. 

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