Parking fee hiked four times to curb air pollution in Delhi

Vehicle parking fees has been hiked by four times in Delhi in a bid to curb worsening air quality in the national capital.

New Delhi: The authorities on Tuesday hiked vehicle parking fees by four times in Delhi in a bid to curb worsening air quality in the national capital as the high-pollution winter months kicked in.

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority (EPCA) to discourage people from using private vehicles as air pollution worsened further and touched more alarming proportions today.

The National Capital Region saw its worst air quality and smog situation of the year - which was even worse than a day after Diwali, as a yellow blanket of smog hung heavily in the sky. 

Calling the rising pollution in Delhi ''an emergency situation'', the National Green Tribunal (NGT) earlier today directed the government of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to inform it about what preventive steps were taken to tackle air pollution.

The tribunal also sought a reply from the state governments by November 9, 2017.

Delhi was on Tuesday engulfed in a blanket of smoke forcing the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to declare a public health emergency. Pollution levels breached the permissible standards by multiple times today.

Reacting to the situation, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "Delhi has become a gas chamber. Every year this happens during this part of the year. We have to find a solution to crop burning in adjoining states."

The rapid fall in air quality and visibility began on Monday evening as moisture combined with pollutants shrouded the city in a thick cover of haze. By 10 am on Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recorded 'severe' air quality, meaning the intensity of pollution was extreme.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) in East Delhi's Dilshad Garden was 420, whereas it was 319 in Anand Vihar. The pollution was recorded highest in Punjabi Bagh with AQI 999 and 852 in RK Puram.

The air quality in Dwarka and NCR also hovered between 400-420. AQI level from 0-50 is considered "good", 51-100 is 'satisfactory' 101-200 is 'moderate', 201-300 is 'poor', 301-400 is 'very poor', and 401 and above is 'severe'.

With IANS inputs