This information was provided by Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) officials to Chief Secretary VivekDhand who chaired a meeting at the Mantralaya here for reviewing pollution control measures taken in and around Raipur city.

In the meeting, Chief Secretary issued directives to begin implementation of the Government subsidy scheme for conversion of diesel auto-rickshaws into CNG operated ones soon, so as to promote use of clean fuel.

Decision to launch a helpline number for lodging complaints regarding violation of noise/air pollution standards has also been taken, officials informed.

The officials concerned were also directed to inspect private hospitals and take necessary action for safe disposal of bio-medical waste.

The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) Ajay Singh, Principal Secretary of Housing and Environment Department Aman Kumar Singh, Principal Secretary, Home Department, BVR Subramanyam, Secretary, Housing and Environment Sanjay Shukla, Secretary, Home Department, Arun Dev Gautam, Secretary, Women and Child Development Department, Sonmoni Borah, Chhattisgarh Housing Board Commissioner SiddharthKomal Singh Pardeshi, Superintendent of Police Raipur Sanjeev Shukla , Raipur District Collector OP Choudhary, Director, Urban Administration Department, Niranjan Das, Commissioner, Raipur Municipal Corporation Rajat Bansal, Member Secretary CECB Devendra Singh and other senior officials.

In the meeting, Secretary, Housing and Environment presented the report of compliance to the decisions taken in the previous meeting.

Forest Department officials informed in the meeting that plantation programme to make Raipur and Naya Raipur ‘green cities’ is nearing completion.

Till date, 3.10 lakh saplings of various species have been planted. The District Administration will be focusing on campus wise plantation, after completion of general plantation. Under this, 30,000 saplings will be planted in Agriculture University, Law University, ITM University etc, they informed.

In addition, distribution of 5000 drumstick saplings in rural areas under MGNREGA will be initiated shortly, officials informed.

It may be recalled that Chhattisgarh Government is already set to ban commercial vehicles which are more than 10 to 12 years old —mainly autos, trucks and buses.

Buses plying on long-distance routes which are more than 12-years-old are already denied permits. The trucks which are more than 10 years old will not be given permits to ply on the roads, officials informed.

Chief Minister Raman Singh had convened a meeting of senior Government in a meeting of Chhattisgarh Environment Protection Board at his official residence here in June this year.

Singh, during the meeting had stated that the State Government would undertake stern measures to control pollution in the interest of the people of the State.

The truck owners will be given one-year period to buy new vehicles. Registration of more than 8-year-old vehicles will also not be done in Chhattisgarh. No permits will be given to autos which are more than 10 years old in Raipur, Durg- Bhilai and Bilaspur, the meeting was informed.

The auto owners will be given one-year period to convert the autos to e-Rickshaws. After this expiry period, the owners will not be given permits.

It may be recalled that a two-member team of experts from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai will study pollution levels in 25 kms periphery of the city.

The IIT team comprising Prof Anil K .Dixit and IndrakantJha had visited Raipur on June 13 this year.

The experts had an interaction with the local industrialists and the officials of the Chhattisgarh Environment Conservation Board (CECB) at new Circuit House here after their arrival.

The experts had informed that this is a preliminary round of their meeting. In the meeting held on Monday, a proforma was handed over to the local industrialists by the experts to seek necessary information for conducting the study.

During the meeting, CECB Member Secretary Devendra Singh appealed to the industrialists to carry out as much plantations as possible by planting atleast 1,000 saplings in one acre of land.

The IIT team informed in the meeting that the study would be carried out in three phases- In the first phase- 5 kms of city’s periphery will be studied followed by 10 kms and then 25 kms of the periphery.