Delhi deploys 334 teams for round-the-clock pollution checks ahead of winter

Delhi will step up its crackdown on pollution ahead of the winter season, deploying 334 teams across its subdivisions and wards for round-the-clock inspections and intensifying enforcement at 48 identified pollution hotspots, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday

Delhi will step up its crackdown on pollution ahead of the winter season, deploying 334 teams across its subdivisions and wards for round-the-clock inspections and intensifying enforcement at 48 identified pollution hotspots, environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Thursday.

Teams will also monitor compliance with the Commission for Air Quality Management’s direction on diesel generator sets and ensure that construction and demolition activities are brought under the Dust Portal. (HT Archive)

The announcement came during a high-level review meeting chaired by Sirsa to assess Delhi’s preparedness to tackle winter air pollution. The meeting was attended by the environment secretary, divisional commissioner, district magistrates and senior officials from various departments and civic agencies.

“The approach this winter will be proactive, intensive and focused on action at the grassroots level. Our teams will maintain round-the-clock vigilance, identify pollution sources at the earliest and ensure swift action against violations,” Sirsa said.

He added that coordinated action by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), district administrations, civic agencies and other departments would continue throughout the winter months.

The meeting came after Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav chaired a separate meeting with the concerned states to review the Delhi-NCR action plan for pollution control from September 2026 to March 2027.

Under Delhi’s enforcement plan, two teams will be deployed in each of the city’s 39 subdivisions. Led by assistant engineer- or junior engineer-level officers from the DPCC, the teams will conduct inspections, including at night, to check biomass burning, construction and demolition dust, industrial pollution, the use of unapproved fuels and illegal dumping of waste.

The teams will also monitor compliance with the Commission for Air Quality Management’s direction on diesel generator sets and ensure that construction and demolition activities are brought under the Dust Portal.

At the ward level, 250 teams will cover MCD wards, while four teams will operate in NDMC areas and two in Delhi Cantonment Board areas. These teams will monitor local pollution sources, inspect decentralised construction and demolition waste storage centres, and identify unpaved roads and roads with significant potholes, officials said.

The government will also intensify enforcement in 48 identified non-conforming pollution hotspots. District magistrates will directly supervise drives targeting unauthorised polluting industries, including metal casting, powder coating, buffing and polishing, plastic waste reprocessing, spray painting and heat-treatment units.