New Delhi: A total of 40 flying squads have been set up by the Enforcement Task Force (ETF) of the Commission for Air Quality Management, which is reviewing the field level action and inspection reports across air pollution contributing sectors in the NCR, on a daily basis.
Flying squads, particularly, check for compliance in respect of various directions and orders issued by the Commission from time to time towards abatement of air pollution, particularly for measures to be taken for the critical winter months, including related statutory environmental rules, regulations and guidelines issued by the agencies concerned in the Central and state governments, an Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry statement said.
General compliance levels are reported to be satisfactory and improving over the days. However, serious violations still being reported across sectors, majorly in industrial units, construction and demolition project sites, use of diesel generator sets in industrial installation commercial complexes and residential set-ups.
In geographical terms, such gross violations have been reported across the respective jurisdictions in the NCR, with 38, 48, 104 and 38 cases reported from Delhi and NCR Districts of Haryana, UP, and Rajasthan, respectively.
The ETF, after deliberations and detailed screening of the non-conformities and non compliances recorded in the inspection reports, decides on immediate closure of such units, to prevent any further deterioration of air quality, and also as a signal to act as a strong deterrent for violators of environmental norms.
In respect of 1,215 number of cumulative inspections carried out till December 7, 2021, gross violations of directions and orders of the commission and non-adherence of prescribed norms has been reported from 228 number of units or sites across various sectors. Of these, closures have been identified for 128 industries, 58 construction/demolition project sites and 42 commercial or residential complexes operating on DG sets.
Not only the closure orders have been issued in respect of the grossly violating units, the Flying Squads have further verified physical closure of operations and 111 such units have so far been physically closed down, till further orders from the Commission, the statement added.
(IANS)