The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on Thursday said it had set in motion the process for installation of Radio Frequency Identification Devices (RFIDs) and Weigh-in-Motion machines at all 13 entry points of the Capital to regulate commercial vehicles and check air pollution.
Public Works Department (PWD) and Health Minister Satyendar Jain, who chaired a meeting of all the departments concerned, issued directions that immediate steps be taken in accordance with the Supreme Court guidelines of levying Environmental Compensation Charge (ECC) on commercial vehicles entering the Capital.
Among those present at the meeting were representatives of the municipal corporations, the Transport department, the VAT department, PWD, the Environment Department, DPCC, and the DSIIDC, among others.
Mr. Jain, who also heads an inter-ministerial task force to combat air pollution and address the issue of solid waste management in Delhi, directed that RITES (a Central government enterprise under the Railways) prepare the requisite bidding documents so that the work for installation of RFIDs and Weigh-in-Motion equipments could begin at the earliest.
“It was decided in the meeting to ensure a foolproof system for the implementation of the Supreme Court guidelines. The honourable Supreme Court has already made it clear that the ECC collected ought to be exclusively used for augmenting public transport and improving roads in Delhi,” said a senior government official.
Apart from this, the official said, the Delhi government was also in the process of implementing a series of steps to check air pollution, which assumes serious proportions during the winter. Announcements related to this are expected “very soon.”
The Environment Department, meanwhile, has ordered a crackdown and strict enforcement of the imposition of Rs. 5,000 fine on those burning garbage and dry leaves and other forms of solid waste in the open.
In a related development, Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain participated in a public awareness programme on the government’s Anti Fire Cracker Campaign at the Central Park in Connaught Place. It was attended by senior officers of the Environment Department, apart from a large number of children representing Eco-clubs of schools and colleges, NGOs, RWAs and eminent people from the public.
