As air quality in Delhi-NCR turns toxic, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday alleged that the Centre was not acting on their repeated request to allow artificial rain in the national capital.
At a press conference, Gopal Rai said he would again write to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav demanding artificial rain. He also sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s intervention in tackling the issue of air pollution.
“Delhi is under the GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) Stage IV restrictions, and we are taking every possible step to reduce vehicular and industrial pollution. Restrictions have been imposed on private vehicles and trucks, aiming to curb the number of vehicles entering the city,” Rai said.
“We are consulting specialists to explore measures to reduce the smog. One of the solutions under consideration is artificial rain, which can help settle pollutants and clear the air,” he added.
Rai said the Union environment minister has not responded to repeated requests from the Delhi government to call an emergency meeting over the situation of pollution in the city and allowing artificial rain, he said.
“People are finding it difficult to breath. It is disappointing that we received no response over the first letter we wrote to the Union Environment Minister on August 30 regarding cloud seeding to tackle this emergency. We wrote again on October 10 and then on October 23, but still no reply. I appeal to the PM to immediately intervene in this matter,” Gopal Rai told PTI.