New Delhi: Amid worsening air pollution in the national capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday chaired a high-level review meeting at the secretariat, directing all departments to take coordinated and urgent steps to combat the crisis. Calling pollution control her administration’s “top priority,” she instructed officials to act firmly against violators contributing to the city’s declining air quality.
The meeting was attended by senior ministers and top officials, including Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh, Development Minister Kapil Mishra, and Chief Secretary Rajiv Verma.
Gupta announced the creation of special enforcement teams to monitor industrial units and vehicles emitting pollutants, warning that strict fines and legal action would follow for those found violating norms. Additional squads will focus on preventing garbage burning, a major cause of smog during winter.
To manage dust levels, truck-mounted water sprinklers and mechanical dust suppression machines have been deployed across the city, particularly in pollution “hotspot” zones. The Municipal Corporation has been directed to ensure regular cleaning of roads, markets, and residential areas and to expedite garbage disposal. The government is also exploring measures such as providing heaters to night-shift personnel as pollution tends to worsen in colder months.
Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the third consecutive day, with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recording an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 316 on Monday. Data from CPCB’s Sameer app showed that 28 monitoring stations reported AQI levels above 300.
Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised both the Centre and the Delhi government for their inability to tackle pollution effectively. In a post on X, he described Delhi’s air as “increasingly poisonous” and accused the ruling BJP of offering excuses instead of solutions. Sharing a video of himself speaking with an environmentalist near India Gate, Gandhi said he was experiencing breathing difficulties and burning eyes, adding that he had even considered relocating his mother, Sonia Gandhi, from Delhi due to the hazardous air quality.
