Year-round action needed to tackle air pollution, says CM 

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta with Ministers (from Right) Ashish Sood, Manjinder Singh Sirsa launching the Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025 in New Delhi on Tuesday.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta unveiled an anti-air pollution plan at the Secretariat on Tuesday and underlined the need for continuous, year-round efforts to curb pollution in the national capital.

Speaking at a press conference after the launch of the ‘Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025’, Ms. Gupta said her government is duty-bound to provide clean air to the people of Delhi, emphasising that air pollution has a direct impact on the health and well-being of citizens.

“This plan is not just a document, but a robust road map to protect the health of our citizens in the coming years. It lays the foundation for a clean, green, and healthy Delhi,” she said.

Efforts to curb pollution cannot be seasonal and must “take place all year round, not just for two months”, the Chief Minister said while unveiling the plan, promising ‘Shuddh hawa sabka adhikar — pradushan par zordar prahar (Clean air everyone’s right — decisive strike against pollution)’.

Tech-driven approach

The multifaceted action plan focuses on eight key areas, combining technological innovation with strict implementation. To combat dust pollution, the government will deploy 200 mechanical road sweepers, 70 electric litter pickers, 38 water tankers, and 20 dump vehicles.

Anti-smog guns will be mandatory for all high-rise commercial buildings (above 3,000 sqm). These efforts will be monitoredusing GPS and cameras, with night-time operations planned to avoid traffic disruption.

The Chief Minister said that to ensure strict enforcement, an AI-based system will monitor registered construction sites and issue automated notices and penalties for dust violations. SMS alerts will be sent to end-of-life vehicle owners in neighbouringStates to create awareness.

EV charging stations

To support the shift to electric vehicles (EVs), the government will rapidly expand its EV charging network across commercial hubs, airports, railway stations, bus terminals, and parking sites. Pollution Under Control centres across the city will be upgraded and audited twice a year, Ms. Gupta said.

In a push for urban greening, she announced a tree plantation drive under ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ campaign, as part of which 70 lakh saplings would be planted across the city starting on Wednesday, which marks World Environment Day. From November 1 this year, only BS-VI, CNG, and electric light, medium, and heavy goods vehicles will be permitted entry into Delhi.

Ms. Gupta urged citizens to join the campaign and become ‘Environment Doots (environment ambassadors)’ to make Delhi’s air cleaner and healthier.

Ms. Gupta clarified that the previousAam Aadmi Party government’s odd-even policy would not be implemented as it had caused inconvenience to the public. “What if a family has only one vehicle at home? We must take decisions keeping in mind the needs and realities of Delhi’s citizens,” she said.

 The government has set a target to completely remove waste at the landfills in Okhla by March 2027, Bhalswa by December 2027, and Ghazipur by September 2028. The existing waste-to-energy plant in Okhla will be expanded from its current capacity of 1,950 tonnes per day (TPD) to 2,950 TPD by March 2027 and a new waste-to-energy plant with a capacity of 3,000 TPD will be set up at Narela-Bawana by November 2028, said the Chief Minister.

Published – June 04, 2025 01:37 am IST

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