New Delhi, Oct 9 (IANS): The Delhi cabinet on Friday sanctioned Rs 20 crore for the installation of a first-of-its-kind smog tower at Connaught Place in the national capital to curb air pollution. The installation work will be completed within the next 10 months.
"We are calling it a pilot project for now, and if it is successful, many more smog towers will be installed across Delhi," said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Once installed, the smog tower will be the second such tower in the world after the one in China.
Incidentally, two smog towers are being installed in Delhi -- one by the Central government at Anand Vihar, and the second one by the Delhi government at Connaught Place.
"The technology being used by the Delhi government is different from the technology used in China. In China, the smog tower sucks polluted air from down below and releases clean air from above. Our smog tower will suck polluted air from above, and release the clean air from the bottom," Kejriwal said.
Kejriwal on Friday also launched a tree transplantation policy under the 'Yuddh, Pradushan Ke Viruddh' campaign, which requires a minimum of 80 per cent of the trees affected by construction or development projects to be transplanted.
He said it is the responsibility of the agencies responsible for transplantation to ensure that 80 per cent of the transplanted trees survive after a year.
"A dedicated tree transplantation cell and local committees will be formed, which will include government officials, citizens and RWAs to monitor the transplanted trees and to monitor the transplantation task," the CM said.
"Along with retaining the policy of planting 10 saplings in place of one being cut down, we can transplant the tree additionally, due to the scientific advancements which allow uprooting the tree from a particular spot, lifting it, and planting it at another spot," Kejriwal said.
The Delhi government will form a panel of agencies that excel in the task of transplantation. Whichever department wants trees to be transplanted, can approach any agencies out the panel that is being formed. Payments will be made to the agencies only if 80 per cent of the trees continue to survive after a year.