Need to strictly enforce laws, SOPs to minimize air pollution: Air quality management panel
New Delhi: The newly-constituted Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas on Monday stressed the need for enforcing existing laws, directions, and standard operating procedures to minimize air pollution on an emergency basis.
The major immediate measures suggested by the commission include minimizing the use of personal transport to the extent possible, restricting travel unless absolutely essential, and working from home.
"Future action will necessitate consultation with various stakeholders. However, at this stage, the Commission stresses the need to strictly enforce existing laws, rules, guidelines, directions, and standard operating procedures to minimize air pollution on an emergency basis," it said in a statement.
The panel also called for encouraging "coal-using industries in NCR to minimize the use of coal in the coming months"
It asked the implementing agencies to strictly enforce laws and rules regarding dust control measures, including at construction sites and burning of municipal solid waste and biomass.
Intensifying water sprinkling, particularly in dust prone areas, and use of anti-smog guns at pollution hotspots, especially at construction sites, were among the immediate measures suggested by the commission.
The blanket of smog over Delhi thickened on Monday, reducing visibility in parts of the city to just 400 meters as the air quality remained "severe" for the fifth consecutive day.
Government agencies and experts said the calm wind was exacerbating the effect of stubble burning and a "quick recovery" is not possible unless the number of farm fires reduces drastically.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
