Delhi AQI Woes: Coal And Firewood Banned In Tandoors ₹5,000 Fine For Open Garbage Burning -What CM Gupta Said

(MENAFN- Live Mint) To tackle persistently dangerous air quality levels in the national capital, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has issued stringent directives, imposing a complete prohibition on the use of coal and firewood in tandoors across all hotels, restaurants, and open eateries throughout the city.

This order, enacted under Section 31(A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, requires all commercial food establishments to transition immediately to electric, gas-based, or other clean-fuel appliances for cooking.

The DPCC underscored that Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) continues to exceed prescribed limits, identifying coal-based cooking as a significant source of localized emissions contributing to the crisis.

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These new directives reinforce earlier mandates prescribed by the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which lists the ban on coal and firewood use in tandoors as a Stage-I measure for emission reduction. The DPCC cited both the approved fuel list issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in June 2022 and its modified GRAP order dated 21 November 2023, reminding enforcement agencies of their obligation to ensure full compliance during the ongoing anti-pollution efforts.

Urban local bodies, including municipal commissioners and chief engineers, have been instructed to conduct immediate inspections within their jurisdictions to ensure all eateries cease using coal and firewood. The directive explicitly permits only electric or gas-operated tandoors, emphasizing that compliance must be enforced universally.

The order has been dispatched via speed post and email to all relevant departments for immediate implementation, following approval by the competent authority.

₹5,000 penalty for open burning of waste in Delhi

Separately, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced that district administration and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) have been instructed to levy fines of up to ₹5,000 against those found burning garbage in the open.

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In a social media post on X, CM Rekha Gupta said:“We are continuously making efforts to control every small and large source of air pollution in Delhi. In line with this, strict instructions have been given to the Environment Department to ensure a complete ban on open burning.”

“The district administration and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi have been empowered to impose a fine of up to ₹5000 on those burning garbage in the open. We humbly request all citizens not to burn waste in the open. Your small cooperation can bring about a big change,” she added.

The move follows a series of NGT orders in the long-running case Vardhaman Kaushik vs Union of India, in which the tribunal had prohibited open burning of all forms of waste back in April 2015.

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