New Delhi, Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta have directed authorities to step up pollution-control measures ahead of winter, ordering weekly meetings of cross-functional teams and deployment of senior officers to oversee mitigation efforts at Delhi’s 47 identified air pollution hotspots.
Thirteen senior officers, including additional chief secretary, principal secretary and secretary have been made in charge of the 47 pollution hotspots spread across Delhi’s 13 districts to ensure effective implementation of mitigation measures, officials said. The directions were issued at a high-level meeting chaired jointly by the lieutenant governor and the chief minister to review the preparedness of various agencies to tackle air pollution in the national capital. The LG and the chief minister reviewed measures being taken to address pollution caused by road dust and construction and demolition waste, vehicular and industrial emissions, and open burning. The authorities were directed to intensify anti-encroachment drives at such locations. The LG and the chief minister also called for accelerating the transition to electric vehicles across categories, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers, light motor vehicles and medium motor vehicles, and directed departments to develop adequate EV charging infrastructure.
The DPCC will also submit weekly compliance and non-compliance reports on industrial emission standards, officials said.
The LG called for greater accountability among officials and regular interaction with the public as well as better coordination between departments. He directed the environment department to submit a fortnightly, quantifiable progress report in a tabular format through the chief secretary to the offices of the chief minister and lieutenant governor for sustained monitoring of pollution-control measures.
