Delhi Cabinet approves proposal for 10% discount on using metro card in DTC buses

The Delhi Metro was shut down in late March when the nationwide lockdown was announced.

To encourage use of public transport among commuters amid rising air pollution levels in the city, the Delhi Cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal by which one can avail 10 percent discount on using common mobility card (metro card) in DTC cluster buses. The metro card usage started in DTC cluster buses on August 24.

"This was necessary in view of rising air pollution to encourage more and more people to use public transport," Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia told reporters.

He further appealed to the cental government and the governments of Haryana and Punjab to initiate measures in the wake of deteriorating air quality in north India, including Delhi.

"The Centre should intervene. Farmers have not been given subsidy. This is the failure on the part of the central government and state governments.

"As December and January is nearing, the entire north India, including Delhi, is close to becoming a gas chamber," he said.

Sisodia said the government since last year has made several efforts which improved Delhi's air quality and had requested the Centre as well as the governments of Punjab and Haryana to take measures in this regard, but despite assurances, the air quality has deteriorated.

On Wednesday, Delhi's Environment Minister Imran Hussain said that the latest satellite images showed crop residue burning at "dangerous" levels and asserted that it should be stopped immediately or entire north India would suffer serious health hazards.

Hussain, who released the latest NASA image of north India, asked people of Delhi to minimise local pollution, while noting that there will be "zero tolerance" for garbage and crop residue burning.

He also asked people to keep all construction material covered to stop dust re-suspension.

The Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which prescribes a set of measures to curb air pollution based on the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) daily Air Quality Index (AQI), is already in effect in the national capital since Monday.

The air quality of Delhi remained "very poor" for the second consecutive day Thursday, with several areas in the national capital nearing severe levels of pollution, according to authorities.

The overall AQI of Delhi was recorded at 315, according to the Centre-run System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research.