Delhi Cabinet approves smog tower installation in Connaught Place; project is 'first of its kind', says Kejriwal

-

New Delhi: The Delhi Cabinet on Friday approved a tree transplantation policy to prevent felling of trees due to development works in the National Capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, asserting that it will be a first-of-its-kind policy in the country.

Addressing an online media briefing in Delhi, he said the Cabinet has also approved a proposal to install a 'smog tower' in Delhi's Connaught Place to deal with air pollution.

The government has sanctioned Rs 20 crore, and the tower will come up in 10 months, the chief minister said, claiming that it will also be the first of its kind in the world.

Both measures have been taken as part of the Delhi government's ongoing "Yuddh, Pradushan Ke Viruddh (Battle against pollution)" campaign in the National Capital.

Under the new policy, which will help preserve trees for a clean and green Delhi, agencies concerned will have to transplant 80 percent of the trees affected by their projects to a new location, Kejriwal said.

A dedicated panel of government agencies with track record and experience of tree transplantation is being formed under the policy, he said.

"Any department requiring removal of a tree for some development work will seek help from any agency on the panel for transplantation," the chief minister said.

"The agency concerned will have to ensure that 80 percent of the total transplanted trees survive. Payments for transplantation will be made after one year to ensure this, and if less than 80 percent of the transplanted trees survive, payment will be deducted," Kejriwal added.

The government will also form local committees, which will include citizens, for checking, monitoring and certification of the tree transplantation exercise.

There are old, big shady trees in the city that are like a blessing, but sometimes, due to various development works, trees have to be cut, the chief minister said.

The tree transplantation policy passed by the Delhi government is the first by any state in the country, officials said.

Under this, 10 saplings will be planted in addition to the whole tree being dug up with the root intact and scientifically transplanted at another location instead of being felled.

The chief minister said Delhi will be the second city in the world to have smog towers. The central government is installing a smog tower in Anand Vihar, while the Delhi government will install another in Connaught Place, he said.

"The technology of this tower will be different from the one in China. It will suck polluted air from the top and release clean air from the bottom part of the tower. In China, the tower releases clean air from the top," Kejriwal said.

The chief minister added that the smog tower will be installed on a pilot project basis, and if successful, more such towers will come up in Delhi.

On Friday, Delhi's air quality was recorded in the 'poor' category but a government agency said it could improve by Sunday because of a likely change in the wind direction.



from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2GJwZYH
Press Trust of India

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Both COVID-19 vaccine doses needed for good protection against B16172 variant

-
It’s been a concerning few weeks in the UK, with the B16172 variant first taking hold and then spreading to become dominant. This more infectious form of the virus, initially identified in India, is what we’re now going to have to live with – unless it is out-competed by another variant in the future. Worryingly, experts had predicted that B16172 might be able to escape some of the effects of vaccines, which if true would threaten to derail the UK’s plans to finish lifting restrictions from the end of June. However, Public Health England (PHE) has looked at the ability of various variants to evade immunity and says that the UK’s vaccines remain effective against the variants circulating, including B16172. On the surface, this looks like good news. But delve a bit deeper, and things get more complicated, says Paul Hunter, professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia. PHE’s research found a little drop-off in protection against B16172 among people who were fully vaccinated.
Read more

New coronavirus variant emerge in India: How should our COVID response change?

-
Image
After genome sequencing of over 10,000 COVID-19 cases in India, researchers have discovered a new variant with two new mutations which may be better at evading the immune system. In 15-20 percent of samples from the Indian state of Maharashtra (the state accounting for 62 percent of cases in the country) a new, double mutation in key areas of the virus has been detected. These are now known as the E484Q and L452R mutations. What makes the variant different? Both these mutations are concerning because they are located in a key portion of the virus – the spike protein – that it uses to penetrate human cells. Spike proteins attach via a “receptor binding domain”, meaning the virus can attach to receptors in our cells. These new mutations include changes to the spike protein that make it a “better fit” for human cells. This means the virus can gain entry more easily and multiply faster. Given what we have seen with other similar mutations , it might also make it harder for our immu
Read more

120 flights delayed, 30 trains running late; Delhi fog & cold wave continue to give shiver to travellers

-
Arrival and departure of 120 flights, both domestic and international, to Delhi airport were affected due to dense fog and cold wave conditions on Wednesday, according to Delhi Airport FIDS (Flight Information Display System). As per the Delhi Airport FIDS, a total of 53 flights, including 21 domestic arrivals, 16 domestic departures, 13 international departures and three international arrivals scheduled are cancelled and not operating due to fog and other operational reasons from and to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the national capital on 17 January. #WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid fog. pic.twitter.com/hG1DUKllEt — ANI (@ANI) January 17, 2024 Visuals from the Delhi airport showed passengers waiting outside, checking update of their scheduled flights. There were also some people waiting for flight of their families, friends and loved ones to arrive, which got delayed due to fog. #WATCH | Delhi | Pas
Read more