Amid rising levels of pollution in the national Capital, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai called an emergency meeting on Friday with officials from relevant departments.

The departments will include Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), Environment department, Transport department, and Traffic Police.  Rai on Thursday stated that the AAP government had announced its Winter Action Plan on 25 September, focusing on 21 key points to combat winter pollution and departments have already started implementing the plan. The Minister instructed immediate action and the launch of special campaigns in the affected areas.

Sharing the preparations to tackle the rising pollution in Delhi, the senior AAP leader said, “A War Room has been set up to monitor pollution activities, and bio-decomposer spraying has commenced to manage crop stubble. An anti-dust campaign has also been initiated at construction sites to control dust pollution.”

Claiming that Delhi’s air quality has been consistently improving due to strict measures taken by the government, he said, “In the last nine years, air pollution in Delhi has decreased by 34.6%. To bring further improvement, the government launched an anti-dust campaign on October 7, which will run for a month as part of the Winter Action Plan.”

The minister emphasised that all construction sites must adhere to 14 specific regulations related to dust control. “Teams will take strict action in case of violations, and regular monitoring of construction sites has been ordered. To further improve air quality, 523 teams have been deployed, along with 500 water sprinklers and 85 mechanical road sweeping (MRS) machines across Delhi,” he added.

Further, Rai further shared that the Green War Room is keeping a close watch on all 13 hotspots. “Instructions are being issued to concerned departments from the War Room, and DPCC teams are conducting frequent visits to these areas,” he added.

The Minister stated that various agencies are working together to address Delhi’s pollution problem, and the Green War Room has been established to coordinate these efforts. “The War Room is also responsible for forwarding pollution-related complaints received via the Green Delhi App to the 33 relevant departments and monitoring the resolution of these complaints,” he said.