The Delhi government wants to conduct an audit of its ambitious drive 'Red Light On, Gadi Off' to assess its impact on vehicular pollution. The audit proposal has been sent to the environment ministry and will be conducted by a third party.
The campaign, launched on October 16, 2020, encourages drivers to switch off their vehicles at traffic lights when they wait for the red light to turn green. "A proposal for a third-party audit of the drive has been sent to the environment minister's office. We are awaiting the nod. We will try to assess the impact of the drive on vehicular pollution," an official said, adding the drive is planning this year too.
"Whether any campaign is a success or not depends on public participation. The people need to fulfil their responsibility in the fight against pollution," he said.
'Red Light On, Gadi Off' drive:-
The initiative was launched in October 2020 at the ITO traffic signal. State environment minister Gopal Rai had at that time said vehicle pollution in Delhi can be cut by 15-20 per cent if people switch off their cars when there's a red signal at traffic lights.
The Petroleum Conservation Research Association (PCRA) data backs these claims, saying there can be a 13-20 per cent cut in pollution at traffic signals if people switch off their cars.
The transport sector amounts to 28 per cent of the PM2.5 emissions in Delhi, while a major chunk, around 80 per cent is contributed by vehicle traffic.
Of a total of 1.33 crore vehicles registered in Delhi, vehicles account for more than double to 643 per thousand population in 2019-20. This is way more from 317 in 2005-06.
Under the campaign, the Delhi government had spent ₹10.46 crore advertisements in 2020-21, an RTI report had revealed. Besides this, the state government's environment department deploys civil defence volunteers at major traffic junctions to ensure people switch off their cars when there's a red signal at traffic lights. They also sensitise people about the effects of pollution. These volunteers are paid ₹700 a day.
