NEW DELHI: The government announced a slew of measures during the budget speech on Monday that promise to lessen pollution in the city.

If the announcements made by deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia while presenting the 2016 budget are implemented seriously , Delhi may be able to keep a portion of its particulate matter emissions under check and ensure relatively cleaner air in the future.

The budget has set aside Rs 100 crore for mechanized sweeping of roads and for the washing and cleaning of signage and other street furniture. This could prove significant in the fight against pollution given that IIT Kanpur estimated that around 38% of the city's PM 2.5 emissions originated as road dust. Sisodia reiterated during his budget speech that the oddeven plan on cars with specific number plates driving only on designated days, which was aimed at reducing vehicular pollution, would continue through 2016-17.

The budget also allocated Rs 137 crore for LED screens that will display air pollution levels in different parts of the city alongside traffic information that will help address logjams. The number of ambient air monitoring stations will go up from six to nine, and they will be boosted by the procurement of a por table monitoring station.

Two plants to handle construction and demolition waste will be set up at Libaspur and the Tikri border to assist the 500 MT one cur rently operating at Burari.Waste material of this nature is responsible for 2% of PM 2.5 emissions, according to the IIT report. In the absence of processing capacity, much of this waste is dumped on the Yamuna floodplain and in water channels leading to clogged wetlands and polluted air.

Many other environmental strategies were part of plans for other sectors, like transport and roads. Environmentalists, for instance, welcomed the budget's focus on public transport -increased subsidy for battery-run rickshaws, road tax exemption for electric vehicles and improved road infrastructure. Eleven PWD roads are being redesigned to provide space for cyclists, pedestrians and the differently-abled and would feature solar lighting and rainwater-harvesting structures.

While welcoming these measures, AnumitaRoychowdhury , executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, was disappointed that "restraint" measures were missing in the budget initiatives. "The taxes on cars and fuels are the lowest in Delhi despite the per capita income here being three times the national average," she said. "Aug menting public transport without simultaneous rest raints does not fully help."

When asked why no funds were reserved to deal with the polluted Yamuna, Sisodia said many projects rela ted to the river were in limbo due because they were de pendant on the central go vernment. "A large portion of the river land lies with DDA, a central agency ,anot her portion is Uttar Pradesh and some with the Delhi Go vernment. The water resources ministry is also involved," Sisodia pointed out.

He said that Delhi had proposed the creation of a special purpose vehicle to the centre. "Only when such an SPV is created will the Yamuna be cleaned. Budget funds can be allocated only to an SPV ," the deputy chief minster said.