Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday launched the ‘Red Light On – Gaadi Off’ campaign, in the wake of deteriorating air quality in the national capital.

Kicking off the campaign at the ITO intersection, he said, “In the last few years, due to the hard work of Delhiites and the concerned departments, pollution levels have decreased by about 34.6 per cent. Delhi is once again ready in this fight against pollution.” He said the main causes of the national capital’s rising pollution are biomass burning, dust, and vehicle emissions.

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“The Delhi government has set up a green war room to combat pollution, launched an anti-dust campaign to control dust pollution, and is spraying bio-decomposer over 5,000 acres to decompose stubble. As part of these efforts, the ‘Red Light On – Gaadi Off’ campaign is now being introduced,” said the minister, adding, Delhiites have to endure not only the pollution within the city but also pollution coming from outside, effectively doubling the city’s pollution levels.

“In Delhi, we are running CNG and electric buses to reduce vehicular pollution, while on the other hand, thousands of diesel buses coming from Uttar Pradesh are spreading pollution in Anand Vihar. We have urged the Uttar Pradesh government to take steps to control pollution,” said Rai.

Mentioning stubble burning, he said, “Due to the efforts of the Punjab government, incidents of stubble burning have decreased, while the governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are not making the necessary efforts in this regard, and stubble burning continues to occur there.”

“It has been observed that when someone drives in Delhi, they stop at around 8 to 10 red lights before reaching their destination. If they wait at an intersection for 2 minutes without switching off their vehicle, they waste 25 to 30 minutes’ worth of fuel unnecessarily. This mindset needs to change. Our entire campaign aims to encourage people to make switching off their vehicles at red lights a habit,” said he.

The minister further added, “Environment volunteers, RWAs, and individuals concerned with the environment have also been involved in this campaign. This is a campaign for the citizens of Delhi. While the government is making efforts to reduce pollution, public participation is equally crucial.”