NDMC holds EV parking fees, rolls out anti-dust, green measures across 42.7 sqkm

The New Delhi Municipal Council will not raise parking charges for electric vehicles, NDMC Vice-Chairperson Kuljeet Singh Chahal announced on Wednesday, even as the Council rolled out a wide-ranging set of measures to tackle air pollution, road dust and sanitation across the Capital’s prestige zone.

Speaking at a press conference at Palika Kendra, Chahal said the NDMC area spans about 42.7 square kilometres and includes nearly 416 kilometres of roads, housing key Central Government offices, prominent hotels and foreign embassies, making cleanliness and pollution control a top priority for the Council.

On dust control, NDMC currently operates 11 large and 4 small mechanical road sweeping machines, 4 ride-on scrubbers and 20 litter pickers, with plans to add 4 more large and 4 medium sweeping machines along with 4 leaf pickers. Chahal directed officials to prioritise night-time cleaning so dust levels drop by morning.

Mist spray systems, already operational at six locations including Man Singh Road, Shahjahan Road and Tilak Marg, will be extended to around 1,200 electric poles covering 26.69 kilometres of roads during 2026-27. Six more roads, including Aurobindo Marg and Barakhamba Road, are expected to get the systems within a week, with a wider rollout across a dozen more roads targeted by November and one stretch by December.

NDMC is deploying 12 mobile anti-smog guns, with units also installed at 10 private buildings, including The Leela, The Taj Mahal Hotel and ITC Maurya, at 11 NDMC buildings, and at 115 construction and demolition sites to curb dust emissions.

For road washing, NDMC runs 13 pressure jetting machines and 18 water tankers, 10 fitted with sprinklers, covering 20 to 25 kilometres daily. The number of jetting machines will be increased to 20. On green cover, Chahal said 64.48 per cent of the NDMC area is already green, with around 30 lakh plants and shrubs planted in 2025-26. Against this year’s target of 5,100 trees and 5 lakh shrubs, the department has planted 1,749 trees and 3,73,587 shrubs so far, marking 74.31 per cent progress.

On construction monitoring, a three-member team tracks sites larger than 500 square metres, with 19 such projects registered on the DPCC portal. The DPCC issued 23 challans of Rs 50,000 each for violations in 2025-26, with five more issued so far this year. NDMC also recycles construction waste at Shastri Park, processing around 10,000 metric tonnes and removing 60 to 65 metric tonnes daily.

On sanitation, 14 nodal officers and three round-the-clock teams of nine personnel oversee waste management, with around 300 tonnes of solid waste processed scientifically every day.

Chahal said the NDMC area has received no complaints of garbage burning, and no related challans have been issued.

NDMC currently runs 60 electric vehicles and 157 EV charging stations, with plans to expand charging infrastructure to 204 stations by December 31, 2026.

The Council has also installed 85 fountains and continues to promote rooftop solar panels on schools, offices, and hospitals.

Chahal said the Council promptly addresses complaints through the NDMC 311 App, Green App, SAMEER App, and social media, and submits regular compliance reports to the Ministry of Environment, CPCB, and DPCC as it works toward what he called a clean, healthy, and pollution-free New Delhi.