Delhi government begins deployment of Environment Marshalls to curb air pollution sources

Environment Minister Mr Imran Hussain on Wednesday announced that Delhi government has started the deployment of Environment Marshalls in various parts of the national capital to control illegal burning in open, control of dust emanating from various sources and improper management of dhalaos – all of which locally contribute to air pollution.

The Environment Department is deploying Home Guard (HG) volunteers as Environmental Marshals. Fourteen Home Guards have already been deployed in seven wards of three municipal corporations – covering three wards of East Delhi Municipal Corporation and two wards each of South Delhi Municipal Corporation and North Delhi Municipal Corporation.

The wards covered so far are AnandVihar, I.P. Extension, Jhilmil, Daryaganj, Okhla, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar-Samaypur Badli and Shahbad Daulatpur-PoothKhurd. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has also been developed for the working of the scheme.

In the coming days, the Department of Environment plans to increase the number of Marshalls to 100 who will be deployed in 50 wards of MCD.

For efficient performance of their duties by these Home Guards, a training programme was also organized on 19/12/17 at the Delhi Secretariat. The incumbents have been given basic inputs about their functioning under the scheme.

They have been instructed to act as eyes and ears of the Environment Department/Delhi Pollution Control Committee and report the following instances of violations of following nature in their respective wards:-

I. Burning of leaves/garbage/plastic in open.

II. Pollution due to dumping of construction material in open without covering.

III. Dust pollution caused due to construction activity without taking adequate pollution control measures such as covers/ sprinkling of water on material stored,

IV. Pollution caused due to spillage of solid waste at dhalaos of MCD.

These Environmental Marshals shall report to their respective supervisory officer on daily basis and will be paid a lump sum amount of Rs. 5000/-as per month per Environmental Marshal towards their transportation allowance and Rs. 1500/- per month per Environmental Marshal towards expenditure incurred on data usage/ mobile phone.

Mr Hussain said his Department and Delhi government are committed to curb air pollution in the national capital. He also appealed to the people of Delhi to lend their hand in controlling air pollution.