Death by Breath: NGT team checks Lotus temple for corrosion due to pollution

The two local commissioners  — Aditya Prasad and Neha Kuriam — on Wednesday spent nearly four hours on the temple premises along with officials from the municipal corporation and transport department.

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The team found not just cars but also auto-rickshaws and even buses parked on the road leading to the lotus temple.

“Most of the vehicles parked there were not meant for the temple and were from the Nehru Place shopping complex area. Many auto-rickshaws and even buses were illegally parked and we found that the Transport department hardly conducts any checks in the area,”one of the commissioners said.

Sources said the commissioners also identified discolouration on a few white marble stones of the temple, but the excat reason for this has to be established through scientific studies.

“There are a number of factors that could be responsible for the discolouration of some the marble stones. The temple structure is washed every three months, but officials of the complex said due to growing industrial and vehicular pollution in the area, this exercise has failed to arrest the discolouring. We could spot some  marble stones that were fading in colour,” the commissioner said.

The Okhla landfill, which is located nearby, the commissioners said after the inspection, could also be a factor for the discolouration.

“But all these issues and factors apart, having more organised parking facilities in and around the Nehru Place area will prevent the number of vehicles crowding around the lotus temple area and adding to pollution,”he said.