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Continuing its concerted efforts to curb air pollution arising out of emissions from highly polluting fossil fuels like coal, furnace oil and alike, the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and adjoining areas (CAQM) has advised Coal India (CIL) and state governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to ensure that coal is not supplied or allotted by coal firms of CIL to various suppliers or stockists or agents of ClL operating in the NCR.
The ministry of environment, forest and climate change said in a statement that the Commission has also advised the entities or units or industries including stockists, traders and dealers of coal to ensure compliance and discontinue coal supply in NCR for any kind of usage or stocking or selling or trading in entire NCR except for thermal power plants (TPPs). Statutory directions of the Commission require the complete elimination of use of coal and other unapproved fuels for various operations or applications across all sectors including industrial, commercial and miscellaneous applications, from January 1, 2023, in the entire NCR. "Statutory directions were issued by the Commission regarding permissible fuels for industrial or domestic or miscellaneous applications in the NCR in terms of direction no. 64 dated June 2, 2022, and 65 dated June 23, 2022. Presently, use of coal now stands completely banned (except in TPPs) and it is not considered a permissible fuel within NCR as per the common fuel list under the Directions issued by the Commission," the statement from the ministry added. The ministry further said that in compliance of the Commission's directions, 84 industrial units in NCR areas of Haryana, UP and Rajasthan which were hitherto not using approved fuels closed down their operations temporarily or permanently on their own. Since last three months from October 10, 2022, only 21 industrial units were found using highly polluting unapproved fuels like coal, furnace oil, etc. and those units have been closed pursuant to CAQM closure directions. "Beyond January 1, 2023, the compliance has further improved and only two units were found using such heavily polluting fuels during inspection, thus indicating satisfactory compliance of statutory directions of the Commission" Ministry added. The flying squad of the Commission will continue conducting incognito inspections to ensure strict compliance on use of only approved fuels in the entire NCR. (ANI)
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