(a) whether attention of the Government has been drawn to the newsitem captioned `Mumbai air has high content of carbon monoxide` reported in the Business Standard dated December 26, 2000;
(b) if so, the details thereof; and
(c) the action plan formulated to deal with the increasing high content of carbon monoxide in Mumbai?
MINISTER OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS (SHRI T.R.BAALU)
(a) Yes, Sir. The news item captioned `Mumbai air has high content of carbon monoxide` had appeared in the Business Standard dated December 26, 2000.
(b) The levels of carbon monoxide (CO) monitored in Mumbai at different locations indicate that levels of carbon monoxide exceeded the prescribed standards during certain times of the day.
(c) An action plan has been prepared and implemented for control of pollution including reducing the content of carbon monoxide (CO) in Mumbai. Measures taken for reducing vehicular pollution include implementation of stringent emission standards known as Bharat Stage II akin to EURO II norms for motor vehicles; promotion of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) driven vehicles; regular monitoring of Ambient Air Quality at 12 metro junctions in Mumbai.