All industries in Delhi to switch to PNG by January 31, 2021, directs air quality commission

The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas has directed all industrial units in Delhi to switch over to piped natural gas (PNG) by January 31. In one of its first big interventions, the Commission has also directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to inspect and identify industries using polluting fuels and take stringent penal action against those found violating the directive.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the Commission reviewed the progress of switching over of industries operating in Delhi to PNG. Representatives of the Delhi government, Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL), and Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) attended the meeting.

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About 1,644 of the industrial units spread across 50 industrial areas in Delhi had been identified for the switch over to PNG. The Commission stressed the need to switch over by all identified industries in Delhi considering the sector is one of the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi and the NCR or the National Capital Region.

IGL and GAIL have been directed to complete the pipeline network, metering, and associated infrastructure by January 31.

MM Kutty, chairman of the Commission and former Delhi chief secretary, had earlier said they were also working on a long-term solution to crop stubble fires that also pollute the region’s air.