Govt working round the clock to fight pollution: CM

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday said the Delhi Government is working round the clock, throughout the year, to effectively control air pollution in the national capital and the NCR, with both short-term and long-term strategies already under implementation.

Chairing a high-level review meeting on air pollution at the Delhi Secretariat, the Chief Minister said the fight against pollution is a sustained one and requires coordinated action by all departments. She said the Delhi Government is receiving continuous guidance and support from the Central Government to decisively tackle the challenge.

The meeting was attended by Cabinet Ministers Parvesh Verma, Manjinder Singh Sirsa and Pankaj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary Rajiv Verma and senior officials from the DDA, Delhi Traffic Police, MCD, PWD, Environment, Industries and Transport departments, among others.

The Chief Minister directed all departments to strictly adhere to the approved pollution-control blueprint and ensure time-bound implementation, asserting that there are no procedural or budgetary constraints in achieving cleaner air.

Highlighting the government’s four-year action plan to substantially reduce PM2.5 levels, Gupta outlined a series of sector-wise measures. A major focus is on strengthening public transport, with plans to expand Delhi’s bus fleet to 14,000 by March 2029. This includes 500 smaller buses aimed at improving last-mile connectivity and seamless integration with the Metro. Pilot integration of e-autos, bike taxis and feeder cabs at 10 major Metro stations is also planned by the end of January 2026.

Under EV Policy 2.0, the government will target Delhi’s 5.8 million two-wheelers through subsidies and scrappage incentives, while expanding charging and battery swapping points from 9,000 to 36,000. Commercial vehicles will be supported through interest subvention and Central schemes to accelerate the shift to cleaner fuels.

To tackle traffic-related emissions, 62 congestion points have been identified, with work already underway at 30 locations. The government has also deployed 1,200 additional personnel to assist traffic management. Public transport expansion remains central, with the Metro network set to grow significantly under Phase IV and future phases, while the NCRTC network will expand to 323 km over the next four years.

Road dust management will be intensified through large-scale mechanised sweeping and sprinkling, backed by multi-crore projects under the PWD and the MCD. The government has also set strict timelines for clearing Delhi’s landfills — Okhla by July 2026, Bhalswa by October 2026 and Ghazipur by December 2027.

Other measures include sealing polluting industrial units, planting 3.5 million saplings, managing construction and biomass waste, promoting smart parking with dynamic pricing and deploying ANPR systems at city borders to curb polluting vehicles.