Delhi Cabinet ministers to urge drivers to turn off ignition from Oct 28

Delhi ministers will join the government’s ‘red light on, gaadi off’ (red light on, ignition off) campaign from Wednesday, in a major push to the anti-pollution drive aimed at curbing vehicular emissions, Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai said on Monday.

The campaign was launched on October 21 and will continue across the city till November 15.

Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai’s office said from October 28, cabinet ministers including Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia will also join this campaign and will visit different traffic signals, urging drivers to participate in the ‘red light on, gaadi off campaign’.

The campaign, which is a voluntary move, encourages drivers to switch off their ignitions while waiting at red lights to reduce tailpipe emissions and to save fuel.

The schedule of the campaign shared by the environment ministry shows that on October 28, Delhi minister of food and civil supplies, who formerly held the environment portfolio, Imran Hussain will participate in the citizens’ campaign.

On October 30, health minister Satyendra Jain will join, followed by minister of social welfare, Rajendra Pal Gautam on November 4, Delhi speaker Ram Niwas Goel on November 6 and Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot on November 9.

Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia will participate on November 15, the last day of the campaign.

“From October 28, we will scale up the campaign and the cabinet ministers will cover traffic signals around Connaught Place, Mandi House and India Gate. The idea is to garner maximum support for this campaign, so that a behavioural change is brought among public. Delhi’s pollution levels can be controlled only if the government and people come together to fight against it,” said a ministry spokesperson.

The campaign, which started on October 21 to stop ‘idling’ at traffic signals (waiting with ignition on), has roped in over 2,500 environment marshals that are stationed with placards and banners deployed at different traffic signals. The focus of this reach out has been at 10 major traffic signals, where the waiting time is longer than two minutes.

The campaign has slowly been expanding to various parts of the city, to ensure maximum participation. On Monday, Rai launched this in all the 70 constituencies of the city and announced that from November 2, the campaign will be taken to all the 272 municipal wards.

“A single vehicle contributes to 15-20% pollution while idling at traffic signals. The aim is to reduce that 15-20% pollution by switching the ignition off. The problem of pollution is bigger than politics and party affiliations and we must all come together for Delhi,” Rai said.