Lohit: In a bid to reduce environmental pollution, Tezu, a town in the Lohit District of Arunachal Pradesh has fixed the seventh of every month as a vehicle-free day.
The order was issued on Friday but announced on World Environment Day.
World Environment Day is observed every year on June 5 to raise global awareness to take positive environmental action to protect nature and the planet Earth.
The Lohit district administration has restricted even the Government officials to walking or cycling. It hopes to “set an example” for the 50,000 people of the town to follow.
Urban Arunachal Pradesh, though sparsely populated, suffers from vehicular congestion. Traffic snarls, sometimes up to five hours long, are usual in twin capitals Itanagar and Naharlagun.
We hope to increase the number of such days per month Lohit deputy commissioner Danish Ashraf said. Apart from ensuring cleaner air, the vehicle-free day is also expected to cut down on government expenditure on fuel. The no-vehicle day has been relaxed for employees, particular for women, with health issues. Emergency duty has also been exempted.