Gurugram, March 7 : Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday said his ministry wants regulation and not closure of polluting units to ensure citizens in the Delhi-NCR get clean air.
“There is a common misconception among the general public that ‘environment’ means the closure of everything impacting Mother Nature. We don’t want closure, we want regulation,” he said after inaugurating a ‘Dialogue Towards Clean Air’ here.
The Dialogue, an interactive session, was organized by the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR & Adjoining Areas (CAQM) in association with the Ministry to deliberate upon the various factors impacting the air quality in the entire NCR.
“Our team, including the Members of the Commission, is committed to working towards providing a healthy and pollution-free atmosphere to the citizens of the entire NCR,” the Minister said, adding, “PM2.5 and PM10 dust particles present in the air go into our lungs. So, if we, as citizens of India, don’t work towards enhancement of the environment, who else will?”
Yadav appreciated the concerted efforts of CAQM towards the abatement of the air pollution menace in the entire NCR. “Persistent efforts of the Commission supplemented with close monitoring and inspection drives in various sectors contributing to air pollution has shown remarkable improvement in air quality in the NCR,” he claimed.
The two-day interactive session involved stakeholders from the Central government, state governments, Pollution Control Boards, municipal bodies, NGOs, private sector, academia, and industry associations.
About 20 NGOs working in the field of air pollution participated in the dialogue. The Commission and the Ministry assured continued support and cooperation to all the stakeholders in a joint fight against the air pollution menace in the NCR. (IANS)