Environment Minister Gopal Rai heads down the roads to kick off the campaign; encourages commuters to turn their cars off at ITO Chowk
India
healthysoch
New Delhi, October 18, 2021
The Kejriwal Government has flagged off the ‘Red Light On Gaadi Off’ Campaign. Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said that the ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign has been started to reduce pollution in Delhi; we can significantly protect ourselves from pollution by just making sure that we ourselves don’t pollute our area. As the incidents of stubble burning in other states have started increasing, the pollution levels of Delhi are also increasing rapidly. He said that the Delhi government took up the responsibility right from the preparation of the solution to spraying it in the fields; if other state governments had taken up the responsibility too, the farmers would not have been forced to burn stubble.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai launched the ‘Red Light On Gaadi Off’ Campaign from ITO Chowk today. The Environment Minister gave a call to all the drivers to turn their vehicles off at the red light by giving them roses. During the launch, the Civil Defence Volunteers distributed pamphlets containing ‘Chief Minister’s Appeal To The People’, in which the CM has appealed to the commuters to turn off their vehicles when the red light is on; reduce one trip a week and download the Green Delhi mobile app on their phones.
Environment Minister Gopal Rai said, “Research data on pollution shows that vehicular pollution plays a very prominent role in air pollution. The Delhi Government is running an Anti Dust campaign against Dust Pollution and similarly, the Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign has been started to reduce vehicular pollution inside Delhi.”
*Can’t do anything to stop stubble burning in neighbouring states; important to reduce pollution in Delhi to protect ourselves: Gopal Rai*
He said that according to the data of the Petroleum Conservation Research Association, if people successfully follow the Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign, then vehicular pollution inside Delhi can be reduced by 13 to 20 percent. “The volume of vehicles which were running inside Delhi in the month of September is still the same. But at that time, the level of pollution was normal. The pollution levels are increasing in winter due to changing weather and stubble burning. As the incidents of stubble burning are increasing, the pollution levels of Delhi are increasing rapidly. We cannot do anything to stop the stubble burning that is going on in other states. That’s why our effort is to reduce vehicular pollution in Delhi for some relief. For this, the Red Light On Gaadi Off campaign has been started,” Rai said.
Gopal Rai informed that a joint meeting was held with the Union Minister of Environment in which Environment Ministers of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh had also participated. “The whole solution was kept in front of all those people. We had requested them that they should deal with the problem of pollution just like us and take it seriously. The Delhi government has taken up the responsibility right from the preparation of the Pusa Bio-Decomposer solution to spraying it in the fields. Had other state governments taken up the responsibility, stubble would not have been burning right now. Other state governments did not discharge their responsibility completely. Due to which stubble is burning rapidly in other states. Air pollution is increasing inside Delhi. This campaign will go ahead only with public participation. If we all fight together, then only will we be able to reduce pollution.”
healthysoch