October 19,2017:

Delhi Pollution Control Committee has invoked the Air Act as a preventive measure to contain Air Pollution.

Using the diesel gensets in Capital can now land you in jail.

Delhi Pollution Control Committee on Wednesday has directed the Delhi Police, SDMs and the Corporations to invoke Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act,1981 against those violating the ban imposed under the graded action plan.

Violation can thus mean a jail term of not less than 18 months, along with the fine of up to Rs 5,000 for a repeat offence.

DPCC has sought daily action-taken reports from agencies.

On Tuesday, Graded Response Action Plan prepared by Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority came into effect and will see the diesel gensets banned in Delhi till March 15, 2018, as part of the preventive measure under the "very poor" category.

The Hospitals, nursing homes, railways, metro, airports and ISBT stations would, however, be exempt from ban as would the elevators and escalators.

But there would be no relief for the weddings and malls.

Senior DPCC Official has stated that,"Delhi doesn't have a power problem, unlike the other parts of the NCR where implementation of the ban would have taken some more time".

The Official further added that,"People can apply for the exemptions, but these will be provided only for the essential services".

National Capital, Delhi will also see closure of the brick kilns not using the pollution-mitigating technology. Other measures to improve the air quality include the mechanised sweeping of the roads, closure of Badarpur Thermal plant and strict enforcement of the industrial pollution norms.

Cellphone towers though haven't got any exemption from Diesel Genset ban. The Telecom Companies, however, aren't worried as most of them in Delhi run on power from grid and are covered by the Emergency Supplies from the batteries.

Measures falling in "severe" and "very poor" categories of graded response plan will continue till March 15,2018 of the next year.

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