Delhi pollution: Railway Board asks 4 zones to replace, convert non-compliant diesel generators
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New Delhi (PTI): The Railway Board has asked four zones to replace or convert non-compliant diesel generator (DG) sets in line with the directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) for controlling air pollution in Delhi-NCR.
In a letter dated November 18, the Board told the Northern, North Central, Northwestern, and West Central zones to "replace the non-compliant DG sets with compliant DG sets".
It added that if replacements are not possible, the zones can either convert the DG sets to dual fuel mode or install with a Retrofit Emission Control Device (RECD).
The instruction followed a communication sent by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to the chairman of the Railway Board on October 26. The Committee had sought suitable directions to ensure compliance with the CAQM order on the use of only compliant DG sets.
"All units, including industrial, commercial, residential, office establishments, banks, mobile tower buildings, health care facilities, railway stations, metro stations, bus terminals, embassies, etc. under your jurisdiction, are required to replace the non-compliant DG sets with the compliant DG sets or convert to dual fuel mode or install RECD, as applicable, to control air pollution due to the operation of DG sets," DPCC had said in its letter.
"You are also well aware that Delhi faces grave air pollution, particularly in the winter season, and the level of pollutants goes much beyond the prescribed standards for Ambient Air Quality," it added.
The DPCC stated that the entire Union Territory of Delhi has been designated as an air pollution control area under the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Further, the CAQM in NCR and the adjoining regions has issued directions in 2023 and 2024 for the regulated use of DG sets to curb air pollution in Delhi.
The DPCC also cited five specific directions for DG sets of different capacities, ranging from less than 19 kV to 800 kV, along with the required actions for each category.
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Fascism will not be allowed to enter through the back door of vote rigging: CM Siddaramaiah
New Delhi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday asserted that fascism would not be allowed to enter India “through the back door of vote rigging” and called upon citizens to collectively defend the country’s democratic foundations.
Speaking after participating in an anti–vote rigging protest organised in New Delhi, Siddaramaiah said the gathering was not merely a political demonstration but a stand to protect Indian democracy. “We have come to the heart of our republic not as Congress workers or voters, but as protectors of Indian democracy,” he said.
Emphasising the importance of the right to vote, Siddaramaiah said it was the most sacred right guaranteed by the Constitution and the very foundation of democracy.
“Through voting, a farmer shapes the future of his children, a worker safeguards his dignity, a youth realises dreams, and a nation expresses its collective will,” he said.
He accused the BJP-led Union government of attempting to undermine this right through what he termed systematic vote rigging, including the alleged misuse of the special revision of electoral rolls. “This power is being stolen repeatedly,” he alleged.
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Warning against authoritarian tendencies, Siddaramaiah said history had shown that dictatorship does not begin with violence but with the misuse of institutions and manipulation of democratic systems.
“Across the world, authoritarian regimes pretend to protect democracy while quietly subverting it. This is what the BJP is doing today,” he charged.
He alleged that the ruling party was controlling institutions, intimidating electoral machinery, distorting voter lists, suppressing voter turnout in opposition strongholds, and misusing money and power. “This is not mere maladministration. Vote rigging is an attack on the very idea of India,” he said.
Siddaramaiah further claimed that governments formed through “stolen votes” could not be considered democratic.
“Such regimes survive through fear, fraud and distortion of the people’s mandate,” he said, adding that vote rigging posed the biggest threat to the republic since Independence.
Praising Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, Siddaramaiah said he had shown exceptional courage in exposing alleged irregularities in voter lists, booth-level manipulation and “systematic, organised vote rigging” across several states, including Karnataka, Haryana and Bihar.
Referring to Karnataka, Siddaramaiah cited Mahadevpura and Aland constituencies as examples highlighted by Gandhi. In Mahadevpura, he said, thousands of allegedly fake and fraudulent voter entries and discrepancies in electoral rolls pointed to a narrow BJP victory. In Aland, he said, attempts were made to remove the names of legitimate voters ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
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He noted that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had recently filed a chargesheet accusing seven persons, including a former BJP MLA and his son, of attempting to delete the names of around 6,000 voters in Aland.
“This is a significant legal step in the fight against vote rigging,” he said.
Siddaramaiah concluded by stating that the fight against vote rigging was rooted in constitutional morality, Ambedkarite thought and the core principle of democracy. “Sovereignty belongs to the people, not to any party, regime or those who seek to steal elections,” he said.
