In a major intervention, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas on Tuesday ordered all the industrial units in Delhi to move to Piped Natural Gas (PNG) by January 31, in order to improve the air quality of the national capital and its adjacent areas which has been deteriorating regularly.
The commission has also directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to find out the industrial units that are using polluting fuels and take strict penal action against the units found violating the order.According to media reports, a large number of industrial units are using PNG, but the commission stressed on the need for all the industries operating in Delhi and NCR to make the switch.Representatives of the Delhi government, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) attended the meeting on Tuesday.
A total of 1644 industrial units across 50 industrial areas had been identified to shift to PNG. However, the commission has made it compulsory for all the industrial units considering that the sector is the major contributor to pollution in Delhi and Northern Capital Region (NCR).IGL and GAIL have been directed to complete the pipeline and network, metering, and associated infrastructure by January 31, the report cited above stated.
