₹28 crore of MCD air pollution control funds unused

The RTI showed that a CPCB inspection from June this year found that MCD had not held regular meetings of its district and city level monitoring implementation committees.

Published on: Nov 15, 2025, 04:14:05 IST

By Aaditya Khatwani

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A Right to Information (RTI) reply from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has shown that the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) did not utilise ₹28.77 crore of its air pollution control funds provided under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) during the last two financial years.

The RTI flagged delays in uploading city-level progress reports on the Portal for Regulation of Air-Pollution in Non-Attainment cities. (HT photo)

At the start of 2023-24 financial year, MCD had ₹26.6 crore of the fund left over from the previous year, and was given an additional grant of ₹8.93 crore, which meant it had over ₹35 crore to tackle air pollution. However, the RTI reply shows that only ₹5.19 crore was utilised during the period, leaving ₹30.11 crore unused by the end of March 2024.

The utilisation of funds dropped further in the 2024-25 financial year. The corporation did not get another grant but earned an interest of ₹75 lakh, meaning the total air pollution control funds available to it were ₹30.86 crore. However, it only spent ₹1.34 crore, leaving ₹29.5 crore – over 95% of the fund – unused.

The RTI, filed by activist Amit Gupta, also showed that a CPCB inspection from June this year found that MCD had not held regular meetings of its district and city level monitoring implementation committees, and flagged delays in uploading city-level progress reports on the Portal for Regulation of Air-Pollution in Non-Attainment cities, which monitors the implementation of the NCAP.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaditya Khatwani
Aaditya Khatwani is a city reporter at Hindustan Times, where he covers the environment, weather, forests, and art and culture for Delhi. He joined the Hindustan Times newsroom in 2025, after graduating from the Asian College of Journalism, in Chennai, and has also covered Delhi’s civic bodies. His reporting blends ground reportage and data-based narratives with human interest stories from the city.Since joining HT, he has published many stories on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and the civic issues in the city. This includes stories on the city’s green divide and the lack of proper footpaths, on which he also filmed and produced a 15-part video series, visiting different parts of the city to assess their footpaths.His coverage on art has included stories on the prominent art events in the city, such as the India Art Fair and DAG India’s “The City as a Museum” event. He also writes about the city’s evolving culture, such as the recent trend of lectures being hosted in bars.Read More

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