NEW DELHI: One of the main causes of the air pollution around AIIMS is improper traffic management, which is exacerbated by hawkers’ encroachment, the lack of a green space, and problems with the management of dust at surrounding building sites.
This was revealed in a report that the New Delhi Municipal Council recently provided to the National Green Tribunal. The green tribunal established a committee earlier this year to look into the problem of pollution near AIIMS and requested various organizations to do an assessment of the area. Additionally, reports on the goals and steps made to reduce the pollution in the region were requested.
According to its report, NDMC says it has taken some action to reduce pollution around AIIMS. It has also recommended a number of other actions. In the short term, NDMC has recommended actions like clearing out encroachments from MG Road and Aurobindo Marg and adding permanent vending zones in a few places. Better traffic and parking arrangements have been suggested as long-term solutions.
A stretch near AIIMS should be included in a smart streetscaping project, according to the NDMC, in order to permanently address the encroachment problem. The council claimed to hold encroachment removal campaigns for MG Road and Aurobindo Marg on a regular basis.
The NDMC mentioned slowing down of cars in areas like Yusuf Sarai and Gautam Nagar due to encroachment as one of the problems impacting the area near AIIMS. It went on to say that there is street parking available on practically all of the nearby roads. Permanent buildings like stores, transformers, etc. have an effect on the right of way.
According to NDMC, there is no green belt surrounding the grounds of the prestigious hospital. For the development of the green belt, the council and the forest department would collaborate with AIIMS, it was said. However, NDMC claimed that it has added several flowering bushes and bougainvillea plants to the area.
The council further asserted that waste was removed daily from the area around the AIIMS campus. It was noted that there are numerous locations close to AIIMS where buildings are undergoing renovations or repairs, necessitating the deployment of dust control techniques. Every day, it said, C&D waste on Aurobindo Marg on the Ring Road is removed.
An eight-person joint committee was established by NGT earlier in July to carry out the suggestions made to it by the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) to investigate and manage the causes of air pollution around AIIMS. The primary sources of air pollution close to AIIMS, according to SPA, also include traffic congestion, irregular parking, encroachment, poor quality of service roads, and vehicle-pedestrian confrontations.
