Delhi approves real-time study of air pollution
New Delhi, July 3: The Delhi Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Department of Environment's proposal for a real-time study of air pollution in the national capital.
The project, to be completed within a period of 18 months from the date of award of the study, has been granted to the Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering, the University of Washington in the US on nomination basis.
The "Real-Time Source Apportionment study for Air Pollution in Delhi" will cost around Rs 1.2 crore and the payments will be done from the Air Ambience Fund maintained by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC).
A cloud-based platform will be established for the study where the data can be shared and viewed by approved groups during the course of the project.
"There has been no scientific study on the pollution in Delhi. Delhi faces pollution throughout the year due to various reasons. So a round-the-year study was important.
"The study will focus on all the pollutants in the air. After the study, the government will have a data for all the different reasons of air pollution which will help in policy making," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told media here after the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The DPCC has been authorised to finalise detailed terms of reference for the study with mutual consultations with Washington University team, he said.
It will also finalise the payment conditions and required clearances if payments are to be made in foreign currency to Washington University.
A brief proposal was submitted by Pratim Biswas and Ramesh Raliya, Research Scientists at Washington University, on the behalf of the university.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
