New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta held a comprehensive review meeting on air pollution in the capital on Thursday, assessing the impact of the measures initiated so far. She reviewed the feedback received from cabinet ministers and officials from different departments, with reduced vehicles observed on the ground, officials said.
In a statement, the government said strict compliance with its orders was ensured, with various departments working in close coordination. “As part of this effort, joint intensive enforcement drives were conducted, and challans were issued against violators contributing to air pollution,” the statement from the chief minister’s office said.
In the meeting, Gupta was informed that a large number of vehicle owners voluntarily obtained their Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, which the government termed a positive indicator of growing public awareness – a direct response to the restrictions imposed on vehicle owners without a valid PUC, who would be denied fuel from Thursday onwards.
Further, continuous drives under stage-4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) after underway. As per a joint report of the Delhi Transport Department and the Delhi Traffic Police, a total of 210 enforcement teams were deployed for this special drive, including 126 teams of the Delhi Traffic Police and 84 teams of the Delhi Transport Department.
“During the campaign, stringent action was taken against vehicles operating without valid PUC certificates. The Delhi Traffic Police issued 2,743 challans, while the Delhi Transport Department issued 316 challans. Additionally, 687 challans were issued through the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. In total, 3,746 challans were recorded against vehicles without PUC certificates,” said the government in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}“During the campaign, stringent action was taken against vehicles operating without valid PUC certificates. The Delhi Traffic Police issued 2,743 challans, while the Delhi Transport Department issued 316 challans. Additionally, 687 challans were issued through the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system. In total, 3,746 challans were recorded against vehicles without PUC certificates,” said the government in a statement.
{{/usCountry}}Further, for violation measures under Grap, a total of 397 challans have been issued, officials said.
Over the past few days, the government has announced 50 percent staff to work from home in all government and private offices, while announcing a ‘No PUC, No Fuel’ rule and a ban on the entry of non-BS-6 vehicles into Delhi. Under stage-4 of Grap, restrictions have also been imposed on schools and on public activity.
Further, the government said to curb road dust, 397 anti-smog guns have been deployed at various locations, while 276 water sprinklers have been installed to suppress dust from roads and open stretches. Another 73 mechanised road sweepers have also been deployed.
“Monitoring and strict enforcement will continue in the days ahead,” said an official.
CAQM also reviews waste burning in NCR
The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR on Thursday also said it has held a series of review meetings in recent days with the NCR states governments and Delhi to review the status of solid waste management - to prevent waste burning. It has issued individual directions to every state, calling for segregation at source, surveillance of vulnerable points and submit regular compliance reports, warning against further timeline extensions.
For Delhi, it noted “persistent incidents of open MSW and biomass burning”, despite the availability of infrastructure, “indicating gaps in enforcement, segregation, and monitoring.
CAQM directed MCD to complete remediation of 143.09 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMT) of legacy waste by December 2027, with a mandated processing rate of around 3.5 LMT per month.
“MCD was asked to augment waste processing facilities without any extension of timelines. Bulk Waste Generators have to ensure on-site wet waste processing within one month and accelerated rollout of 100% Zero Waste Colonies. DPCC has been tasked with strict monitoring of Waste-to-Energy plants, fly ash disposal, verification of municipal data, and monthly compliance reporting to CAQM,” said the commission.
Across NCR, it similarly noted delays in legacy waste segregation and coordination gaps among agencies.