Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta on Monday attended a meeting chaired by Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav to review measures to control air pollution in the national capital, with the government reiterating that pollution control would be pursued throughout the year and not only during the winter months.
The meeting assumes significance as Delhi steps up preparations for the winter pollution season. Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior officials of concerned departments were also present at Monday’s meeting. Additional restrictions may be imposed between December 10 and January 20, a period the government expects to witness the most severe pollution levels, according to officials.
The government has already notified the “Proactive Winter Air Quality Management Framework”, laying out measures that may be activated between November and February when air quality worsens and higher stages of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) come into force. Gupta said providing clean air and a healthy environment to Delhi residents remained the government’s “topmost priority”. She said the government was working continuously on major sources of pollution through inter-departmental coordination, strict monitoring and action at the grassroots level. “The important suggestions given by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in the meeting will be implemented effectively,” Gupta said in a post on X. Officials said the government’s focus would remain on sustained action against pollution sources, with coordination between different departments and agencies forming a key part of the strategy.
Yadav earlier directed the Delhi government to accelerate measures relating to road dust, mechanised road sweeping, electric buses, traffic management, end-of-life vehicles, industrial emissions and waste management.
