Amid talks of firecracker ban, Delhi also puts focus on clean vehicles in NCR

It is that time of the year again when there is a slight chill in the weather and a looming haze of toxic air threatening to engulf and choke Delhi and all those who stay in and around the capital city. With Diwali just a few weeks away, the yearly debate over firecrackers and how much smoke these contribute is once again gathering the proverbial steam even as the Delhi government urges NCR (national capital region) cities and towns to crack down on polluting vehicles.

Delhi has been in the firm grip of extremely toxic air almost every winter over the past several decades, barring some of the lockdown months gone by. The city and adjoining areas see air quality index (AQI) in high triple-digits, often cracking the top-most mark in measuring devices. And while there is no consensus on which one source contributes the most - and from where, vehicular pollution often bears a large chunk of the blame, along with stubble burning and lack of favourable wind directions.

Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Friday said that the Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav held a meeting with environment ministers of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. He added that the Delhi government, during the course of the meeting, suggested various measures to tackle the air quality menace this year. While underlining that there ought to be a complete ban on firecrackers this Diwali, Rai also urged NCR regions to permit only CNG and electric vehicles to operate. In particular, he also asked NCR region to restrict or halt operation of buses that run on diesel.

While there was no mention of the controversial odd-even traffic regulation system that has previously been enforced at various times in Delhi, the government here is planning to bring back its campaign focused on vehicles being turned off during wait at traffic signals.

In a study conducted by independent environmental think tank Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) in October of last year, it was found that half of PM 2.5 pollution between 21 October and 26 October in Delhi was caused by vehicular emissions. It is important to note here that Diwali last year was celebrated on October 24 while it is on November 12 this year.