New Delhi, March 8 (PTI). In the face of the danger posed by stubble-burning to the air quality in the capital region, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Union Minister for Environment and Forest, on Tuesday urged farmers to avoid taking shortcuts that do not help.
He also called upon people to work for the betterment of air quality, saying it is everyone’s responsibility as citizens of the country to look after “mother nature”.
Choubey spoke at an event, organized by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Adjoining Areas, in association with Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, to brainstorm on the topic of improving air quality in the capital region.
Choubey addressed the issue of stubble-burning, appealing to farmers to not take shortcuts, the ministry stated in a statement.
“If we all move ahead together in making our environment clean then it will serve as a great service to our mother nature. If we dont care for our mother nature, it will not care for us as well,” the minister was quoted as saying.
The minister also said it is “every citizens” responsibility to work for the betterment of the air surrounding them.
“We as citizens of India hold the sole responsibility of looking after our mother nature,” he added.
The two-day interactive ‘dialogue towards clean air’, which began on Monday, involved stakeholders from the central government, state governments, pollution control boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia and industry associations, the ministry said.
“Constructive discussions involving stakeholders from different fields along with resourceful insights gave a significant push in the successful implementation of an interactive two-day dialogue,” it added.
The ministry said all the technical sessions, presentations and discussions were “very stimulating and enriching”.
Stakeholders from various fields interacted about issues impacting the air quality in the entire NCR and presented “insightful inputs,” it said.
“The Commission and the MoEF&CC ensured continued support and cooperation to all the stakeholders in a joint fight against the air pollution menace in the NCR,” it added.
The ministry stated that the commission has already issued 61 directions, 7 advisories, and executive orders to various agencies involved in the NCR, including the governmentss of Delhi and Punjab as well as various bodies of the central government and state governments in this region. These orders lay down responsibilities and provide concrete steps to improve air quality and reduce pollution in the region.
“Whether it is about vehicular pollution, industrial emissions, stubble burning, roadside dust generation, solid waste management, vehicular pollution, use of DG sets, etc., the Commission is taking up every issue with utmost concern and it has pulled out all the stops to issue necessary Directions and Advisories to tackle it effectively,” it added. PTI PK PK RT RT
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