The national Capital grappled with ‘poor’ air quality on Saturday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) reached 231 on Saturday.  In fact, certain parts of Delhi also recorded an AQI labelled as ‘severe’. Vehicles that visibly cause pollution will receive heavy fine impositions, while trucks not destined for Delhi will be diverted via eastern or western peripherals.

The deteriorating air quality prompted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke stage-I of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) throughout the entire National Capital Region (NCR).

Delhi’s Environment Minister Gopal Rai on  Saturday launched a month-long drive to prevent dust pollution in the capital and said strict action will be taken against anyone found violating relevant norms. Under the anti-dust campaign, 591 teams from 13 departments have been deployed for inspection all over Delhi. Rai also conducted a surprise inspection at the Wazirpur hotspot area under the anti-dust campaign on Saturday. The environment minister said that the hotspot was inspected in view of the rising AQI.

During the inspection, officials of MCD, DPCC, Jal Board, DSIIDC, Delhi Traffic Police and PWD were present. Officials present in the Wazirpur area said that the main factors of increasing pollution here are illegal parking, traffic congestion, construction work near the road etc; all concerned departments have been instructed to take immediate action.

The recent directive from the Centre’s air quality panel, mandated a ban on coal usage in hotels and restaurants. Additionally, stringent measures were urged against polluting industries and thermal power plants. These actions are part of the government’s broader pollution control initiative, GRAP, specifically designed for the winter season in Delhi-NCR,

This action comes as part of the central government’s pollution control plan known as the ‘Graded Response Action Plan’ (GRAP) which is implemented in Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season.

Rai said the “Anti-Dust Campaign” is being launched in view of the worsening air quality. “This will include measures such as the installation of dust control equipment at all sites exceeding 500 square metres, with real-time monitoring available through a web portal,” he said.

He said that 591 teams have been set up to ensure strict compliance with dust control norms, with 530 water sprinklers and 258 mobile anti-smog guns employed to combat dust pollution.

Rai said separate and specific action plans have been designed for each of the 13 air pollution hotspots in Delhi based on real-time air quality data collected from 40 air quality monitoring stations in the Capital

He said a total of 13 teams had been formed to implement these action plans at the identified air pollution hotspots.

The Delhi Government had last month launched a 15-point action plan to mitigate air pollution in the capital during the winter season, with a strong emphasis on addressing dust pollution, vehicular emissions, and the open burning of garbage.