Delhi to once again engage 10,000 civil defense volunteers in anti-pollution efforts | Latest Delhi News

Chief Minister Atishi said they will deploy around 10,000 Civil Defense Volunteers (CDVs) to implement and monitor pollution control measures, another attempt by the Delhi government as it tries to control the toxic air crisis currently engulfing the city.

The volunteers will be deployed in various roles such as checking the entry of restricted vehicles into city boundaries and assisting law enforcement teams at pollution hotspots, the CM said. Volunteer registration will begin in a week, she added.

“These volunteers will be stationed at PUC centers to prevent the issuance of improper pollution certificates. They will work with inspection teams to monitor construction dust, waste burning and use of diesel generators,” Atishi said at a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat, where Environment Minister Gopal Rai and other senior officials were present. Volunteers will also be deployed at Green War Rooms to address grievances related to environmental pollution, Atisha said.

Rai cited the upcoming Diwali festival and ongoing stubble burning as key reasons for the increase in volunteer numbers.

These volunteers are part of Civil Defense, which is the government’s emergency response organization. The decision to deploy them was made even though Phase II of the Gradient Response Action Plan, or Grap, is currently in effect. According to this, restrictions and measures are imposed when the air quality index (AQI) exceeds the 301 mark and becomes “very poor”. The city’s quality index stood at 304 at 4 pm on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin.

Besides, bus inspectors will be deployed along with law enforcement teams to check at Delhi’s borders to prevent entry of restricted vehicles, Atishi said. “CDVs will also be used in awareness campaigns as well as in providing support to the enforcement teams of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), which monitor construction and demolition waste, illegal dumping, open burning of garbage and diesel generator sets. They will be deployed along with MCD Deputy Commissioners at 13 hotspots and 27 other places in Delhi where pollution levels are high and require monitoring,” the CM said.

The 13 pollution hotspots include Anand Vihar, Mundka, Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, R.K. Puram, Rohini, Punjab Bagh, Okhla, Bawana, Vivek Vihar, Narela, Ashok Vihar and Dwarka.

Also read | Air Pollution in Delhi: NGT Notice to Chief Constable and Traffic Commissioner

“The DPCC has also formed 33 teams to consistently check dust control measures at construction sites. Bus captains and civil defense volunteers will also be assigned to these units. In addition, they will also be involved in checking whether complaints are being addressed in the Green War Room,” Atishi said. “CDV registration is expected to begin within the next week.”

Rai said, “Pollution will increase in the coming days due to stubble burning, Diwali fireworks and traffic jams due to crowds in markets. I have full faith that the Civil Defense volunteers who used to protect the sisters will now protect the breath of the people of entire Delhi…we are confident that with their help we can bridge the implementation gap that existed in curbing pollution.”

Also read | Delhi water crisis: AAP blames Haryana for Yamuna ammonia pollution, BJP hits back

Of course, there used to be about 10,000 CDVs working as bus dispatchers since 2017, but their services were discontinued in November 2023. CDV reuse is expected to last four months. On October 24, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena also ordered placement of CDV for four months.

Meanwhile, the decision to re-enter the CDV has reignited the political game between the ruling AAP and the opposition BJP. CM Atishi accused the BJP-led central government of terminating the services of bus chiefs in April 2023 by stopping their salaries, leading to the sacking of CDVs. “The Delhi government supported the bus masters’ protests last year and despite the BJP’s intervention, we ensured they resumed,” Atishi said.

On the other hand, Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva blamed the AAP government for the CDV’s plight over the past year and said Atishi had falsely claimed responsibility for their re-involvement. “The Kejriwal government appointed these volunteers as bus captains without following administrative procedures and without making any provision for their permanent employment. When the case stalled in the investigation, it was Kejriwal who ordered their dismissal as bus captains. The BJP facilitated the meeting between the delegation of bus chiefs and the LG. On the request of the volunteers, LG has re-assigned them to work on anti-pollution initiatives,” Sachdeva said.