Work from home or use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions: Rai appeals to Delhiites
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Wednesday appealed to city residents to preferably work from home or use shared transport to reduce vehicular emissions, a major contributor to air pollution in the national capital.
He also said that vehicular emissions account for 51 per cent of the air pollution generated locally.
"If possible, please share a ride to work or work from home. This is how we can reduce the share of vehicular emissions in Delhi's air pollution," he said during a press conference here.
Rai asked people to refrain from using coal or firewood for heating purposes and to provide electric heaters to security staff to avoid open burning during winters.
"We have to reduce our share of pollution. We have to do everything we can. We cannot sit idle waiting for others to act," the minister said.
He said people should avoid bursting firecrackers.
"Emission from even one firecracker can cause great harm in such unfavourable meteorological conditions," he said.
Rai also asked people to take pictures if they find anyone violating the ban on construction work and upload them on "Green Delhi" application for necessary action.
With pollution levels worsening, the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had on Saturday directed authorities to impose a ban on construction and demolition activities in Delhi-NCR, except in essential projects, and other curbs under stage three of the Graded Response Action plan (GRAP).
GRAP, first implemented in 2017, is a set of anti-air pollution measures followed in the national capital and its vicinity according to the severity of the situation.
The Delhi government had on Tuesday issued a notice to stop work at the BJP headquarters here and imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on private firm Larsen & Toubro Ltd for violating the ban on construction and demolition work.
Rai said the Delhi government will run a special drive at the 13 pollution hotspots in Delhi, including Narela, Anand Vihar, Mundka, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, among others.
"Fire tenders will be deployed at these places to sprinkle water," he said.
Citing a study conducted by the Centre for Science and Environment, Rai said local sources account for 31 per cent of the air pollution in Delhi, 54.5 per cent comes from other areas in the National Capital Region and the rest is due to biomass burning.
"The air pollution problem cannot be resolved through politics. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has come up with Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which will have to be implemented in Uttar Pradesh and Haryana too -- in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Bahadurgarh.
"We have been following GRAP and have accordingly banned construction work, barring some essential projects, in Delhi. We need the support of the governments in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. They need to become active," he said.
Asked about the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights' notice to the Delhi government for not ordering closure of schools, Rai said the recommendations will be sent to CAQM.
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CBI charge sheets Sanjay Roy for rape and murder of trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical college
New Delhi, Oct 7: Civic volunteer in Kolkata Police Sanjay Roy had raped and killed the trainee doctor in the seminar hall at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9, the CBI has alleged in its first charge sheet in the sensational case filed on Monday while ruling out "gang rape".
In the charge sheet filed before a Sealdah court 54 days after the CBI took over the investigation, the agency said that Roy had committed the crime alone and it has not found evidence so far to substantiate allegations of gang rape and involvement of other individuals, officials in the know of the developments said.
The agency told the court that it has kept the probe open into other aspects of the crime, they said.
The report had annexure carrying statements of prosecution witnesses was filed .
The local police had arrested Roy on the next day of the crime - August 10 - based on the CCTV footage and his inability to explain his conduct at the time of the crime.
The CBI heavily relied on the CCTV footage which showed Roy entering the seminar hall at around 4 AM on August 9, they said. The footage showed that he had left the room after 30 minutes, they said.
The DNA samples collected from his nails also indicated his role in the gruesome crime, they said.
The body of the trainee doctor was found at 9.30 am on August 9 by her colleague who went looking for her before starting ward rounds.
The Tala police station was informed about the "body of a lady lying in an unconscious state" and its team reached the spot around 10.30 am. Her autopsy had shown multiple internal and external injuries on the body.
The CBI has charged Roy with Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 64 and 66 pertaining to rape and 103(1) relating to murder.
Section 66 of the BNS prescribes a punishment for causing the death of a woman during rape, with a minimum of 20 years rigorous imprisonment or life imprisonment or death sentence. Under Section 103 (1), the punishment is death or imprisonment for life.
The CBI, which took over the investigation on August 14 following a Calcutta High Court order, also took Roy’s custody and conducted a detailed interrogation, followed by a polygraph test.
Roy had claimed innocence during questioning and had said that when he entered the room he found the woman doctor unconscious. He could not explain the reasons why he did not inform the police.
Roy had refused to give consent for the narco analysis, following which the CBI could not proceed with the test.
The CBI has also arrested Tala police station officer-in-charge Abhijit Mondal and former principal of the medical college Sandip Ghosh in the case. Ghosh is also facing another CBI case pertaining to alleged corruption.
The junior doctor's killing sparked protests by resident doctors across the country, demanding better security for them.
The Supreme Court also took cognisance of the case and related allegations levelled by agitating doctors and has been holding hearings on the matter.
