Air pollution: Delhi CM promises Ujjwala LPG connection for slum dwellers using wood for cooking

New Delhi, Nov 8 (IANS) Aiming to curb air pollution, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Saturday, directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to identify slum dwellers using traditional fuels like wood and coal for cooking and help provide them cooking gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana.

According to the Chief Minister, the Delhi government will provide these families with connections under the Ujjwala Yojana to give up use of polluting cooking fuel.

Chief Minister Gupta also said that the BJP-led Delhi government is working on a war footing to control pollution.

Teams of officials have taken to the streets and strict action is being taken against polluting factors and effective measures are being taken to clear hotspots, she added.

She emphasised that pollution prevention is not limited to the industrial or transportation sector, it is also essential to take steps at the domestic level.

The Chief Minister added that smoke from stoves and fireplaces in slums not only pollutes the environment but also poses a serious threat to the health of the families living there.

"Therefore, the government wants every family to have access to clean fuel and to ensure that no one uses traditional polluting sources," she said.

She added that making Delhi pollution-free is a top priority for her government and her government is already working on a war footing to tackle the issue.

Maintenance vans are on the streets, cleaning roads, sidewalks, and other roads to eliminate the causes of pollution, she said, adding that senior officials from key government departments, including the Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department, DUSIB, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), and other departments, as well as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and other municipal bodies, have been deployed on roads across Delhi.

The Chief Minister said that the officials have been instructed to focus on the complete cleanliness of designated areas and leave the site only after achieving this result.

According to Chief Minister Gupta, orders have also been issued to all Urban Local Bodies and related agencies to deploy all necessary sanitation resources to ensure complete cleanliness of the entire area.

She said that special attention is being paid to clear the pollution hotspots in the city.

"Continuous mist spraying is being carried out in these hotspots, along with mechanical measures to control dust. The roads and footpaths surrounding these hotspots are being repaired with cement and other means to prevent dust."

—IANS

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