With the onset of winter, a dense blanket of haze and smog has started spreading over the sky of the capital Delhi and NCR. The air quality index i.e. AQI has crossed the 250 mark and has reached the serious category from 'poor' to 'very poor', due to which the residents of the capital are facing severe difficulty in breathing. To stop the rising clouds of poisonous air and dust, the Delhi Government, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) have decided to implement emergency rules with immediate effect under their revised Winter Action Plan. To prevent pollution levels from slipping into the 'severe' category, strict guidelines have been set on vehicular movement, functioning of offices, industrial activities and construction work. Strict surveillance and e-challan on the entry of non-BS-VI vehicles. A large part of the pollution in the capital comes from old vehicles running on the roads, to control this, the government has banned the entry of non-BS-VI vehicles coming from outside states. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras have been activated on Delhi borders, which are identifying vehicles violating the rules and issuing automatic e-challans immediately. Under this strict rule, only BS-VI standard vehicles, CNG, electric vehicles and emergency services like ambulance and fire brigade have been allowed to enter the Delhi border. Along with this, 'No PUC, No Fuel' campaign is being implemented strictly by making it mandatory to check valid Pollution Control Certificate (PUCC) at petrol pumps. 50 percent work from home and major change in office timings To reduce traffic jams on the roads and the pressure of smoke emanating from vehicles during peak hours, the provision of 50 percent work from home (WFH) has been made mandatory for government and private offices. Along with reducing the physical presence of employees in offices by half, the commuting timings of employees have also been changed (Staggered Timings). According to the new rules, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) offices will function from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, while Delhi government offices will function from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. With this arrangement, there will be no crowd of vehicles on the roads during morning and evening rush hours, which will lead to a huge reduction in the smoke emissions caused by stopping of vehicles. The government has adopted a strategy to promote public transport to discourage excessive use of private cars and two-wheelers by doubling parking charges to deter private vehicles. Instructions have been issued to double the normal parking rates at all authorized parking spots in Delhi, so that people take the help of buses and metro instead of taking out private vehicles. However, metro parking complexes operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) have been exempted from this hike so that there is no additional financial burden on metro commuters. The administration has also increased the number of trips of metro and DTC buses so that common passengers do not face any inconvenience in travelling. Ban on construction-demolition and strict dust control measures. The role of fine dust particles like PM 2.5 and PM 10 in spreading pollution is considered to be the most fatal. In view of this, open demolition and outdoor civil construction work has been banned in the capital, except for selected infrastructure projects that are related to essential public services. Essential work inside buildings, such as plumbing and electrical, is allowed to continue with strict dust control standards in place. To suppress dust flying from the roads, Municipal Corporation and PWD teams have deployed mechanical sweeping machines, mobile water sprinklers and anti-smog guns day and night at major intersections and pollution hotspots. Zero tolerance on burning of garbage and monitoring from command center The administration has implemented a policy of zero tolerance on burning of leaves, garbage and plastic or biomass in the open. Heavy financial fines and legal action are being ensured against those who burn open fires. For actual monitoring of all these restrictions, the government has set up an integrated Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled command and control centre. This high-tech control room is monitoring the entire city through CCTV cameras, operation of anti-smog guns and live monitoring of construction sites so that flying squads can reach the spot and take immediate action if rules are violated in any area.
