Mothers hold demonstration outside Union environment minister's office demanding clean air for kids

A group of mothers from different cities gathered outside the office of Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Friday to draw his attention to the rising health impacts caused by air pollution from thermal power plants.The group, which gathered around 11 am, stood holding placards urging the ministry to ensure all coal-powered thermal power plants strictly adhere to emission control norms.

A group of mothers from different cities gathered outside the office of Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Friday to draw his attention to the rising health impacts caused by air pollution from thermal power plants.

The group, which gathered around 11 am, stood holding placards urging the ministry to ensure all coal-powered thermal power plants strictly adhere to emission control norms. It had in August initiated an online petition -- 'No Extensions To Polluters' -- addressed to Yadav, aimed at ensuring clean air for children. The petition has been signed by over 1,000 women, including several celebrities, the group said and alleged that emission norms mandated by the ministry continue to be flouted.

The protesting mothers later handed over the petition to the staff of Union Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Kumar Choubey.

''As mothers, we decided to gather here today to try and meet our environment minister who has recently taken charge. We want him to stand on the side of our children's future,'' said Sherebanu Frosh, a mother of two who lives in Gurgaon and a member of a ''mothers network''.

''We hope that he can champion the cause and lead by example by ensuring that all thermal power plants are made to adhere to the mandated norms and thus reduce air pollution, which will help the children across India to breathe easy,” she said. Delhi-based Bhavreen Kandhari said several reports have stated that it was in December 2015 that the MoEF proposed to amend the Environment (Protection) Rules of 1986 by bringing in tighter emission norms for coal-based power plants.

''Under this notification, the thermal power plants would commit to reducing pollutants like particulate matter, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and mercury in the air,'' she said. She said as the winter season sets in, air pollution will soon be at its peak and the most obvious solution for the government would be to regulate the thermal power plant emissions as notified in 2015.

''Time and again, the power plant lobby has managed to show their might by getting extensions, dilutions and paltry penalties for the past four years and kept getting away with their pollution,'' Kandhari said. ''It's time to introduce them to the most powerful lobby, which is the 'mothers' who care for their children. Hence as mothers all that we demand is a priority to be given to our children's health by ensuring emissions norms are implemented without any further delay,'' she said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)