New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday directed all government agencies to work on a war footing to curb pollution and announced a committee with special powers to monitor and strengthen the city’s pollution-control efforts.
Chairing an inter-departmental meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta said her government was treating pollution as an “emergency mission” and would not tolerate any lapse by agencies responsible for maintaining air quality and cleanliness standards in the capital.
Delhi’s air quality was recorded in the “very poor” category on Wednesday with an AQI of 342, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Meanwhile, she said an expert committee comprising senior officials from key departments, IITs and environmental scientists is being constituted to work on bringing pollution under control.
The committee will be granted special powers by the government to monitor compliance and enforce corrective action, according to a statement.
She instructed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) to issue challans and impose heavy penalties on departments failing to comply with dust-control and road-maintenance requirements.
The chief minister expressed displeasure over reports of unauthorised road-cutting and poor road restoration by some government bodies, directing officials to file FIRs against departments found engaged in such violations.
“No agency, government or private, will be spared in the fight against pollution,” she said.
Gupta also ordered all departments to identify and fill potholes within 72 hours and ensure that no stretch of road remains broken.
The Public Works Department has been tasked with repairing potholes across its 1,400-km network and uploading before-and-after photographs on an app.
The Delhi Development Authority has been asked to maintain cleanliness on its roads, remove waste from vacant land and expedite the transfer of its markets to MCD.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has been instructed to swiftly repair damaged stretches beneath its elevated corridors and implement stronger dust-mitigation practices.
The chief minister said clean, green and dust-free roads were the most crucial component of the city’s anti-pollution strategy and that delays in field action would not be accepted.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who attended the meeting along with the chief secretary and officials from PWD, MCD, DDA, Delhi Metro, DSIIDC, NBCC, DUSIB and other departments, said the 311 Green App was being strengthened as the central platform for monitoring dust hotspots, potholes and brown areas.
A six-month action plan is underway to implement dust-free measures in identified zones across the city, he said.
Sirsa said strict action would be taken against vehicles below BS-IV norms and that e-autos would be prioritised to improve last-mile connectivity and promote Metro usage.
Mist-spray dust mitigation, which has shown promising results in pilot corridors, will now be expanded citywide, he said.
The MCD has been directed to make its 8,000-km road network pothole-free and dust-free, with 1,000 vacuum-based litter pickers and 100 mechanical road sweepers to be deployed within 45 days. Most of Delhi’s landfill sites are also planned to be cleared in the coming months, officials said.
All construction sites have been asked to ensure fencing and comply with pollution-control norms within 48 hours. PTI NSM VN VN
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