The Delhi government has intensified its crackdown on air pollution, deploying 125 additional patrol vehicles and ordering surprise inspections to check violations of pollution-control measures across the national capital.
The move comes after the national capital recorded its worst Diwali-day air quality since 2021, with pollution levels touching nearly 5,000 micrograms per cubic metre at some monitoring stations. Delhi's average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 376 on Sunday, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.
According to government sources, 78 GPS-enabled Vayu Rakshak vehicles are already deployed by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), while the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has added 125 GPS-enabled vehicles. More than 300 enforcement teams, comprising three to four officials each, have been formed to monitor compliance round the clock.
The government has also directed senior officials to conduct surprise inspections at identified pollution hotspots to ensure that enforcement teams are performing their duties. Preventing open burning of biomass and municipal solid waste has been made a priority.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the number of shifts for mechanised road-sweeping machines had been increased, while the number of rounds by water sprinklers across the city had been doubled. At present, 81 mechanised road-sweeping machines are deployed to collect road dust.
Authorities have also intensified checks on vehicles, particularly BS-IV and older vehicles, and violations of restrictions on construction activities. The Delhi Police and Transport Department are coordinating to ensure compliance with vehicle-related curbs.
District magistrates and senior secretary-level officers have been tasked with monitoring enforcement, particularly within a three-kilometre radius of identified pollution hotspots.
Sirsa said the government had launched a coordinated, multi-departmental exercise to tackle pollution, adding that changing weather conditions had also contributed to some improvement in air quality.
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