Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa on Thursday said fines of over Rs 2 crore levied, 200 show-cause notices issued and 48 closure reports have been filed along with the inspection of 1,262 construction sites during the real-time surveillance on dust control in the city.
With the enforcement of strict action against polluters Rs 2.36 crore ‘Environmental Compensation’ has been imposed on the projects found not complying with the prescribed norms.
He shared that since October 15, over 1,262 construction projects with an area of more than 500 square meters have been inspected for dust pollution, and 747 construction sites are registered with real-time video fencing, along with air quality monitoring on the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s portal.
Amid the bad air scenario, the minister said continuous inspections and remote monitoring is underway across 4,881 localities in the national capital while 467 of them have been surveyed and 32 new violations detected.
Diesel generator sets and high-emission industries are under strict compliance checks. They have been told to switch to PNG mode, he said.
Sirsa also inspected pollution hotspots in South West Delhi’s Palam, Dwarka and Mahipalpur to review dust mitigation measures. He said Delhi is deploying science-based enforcement to tackle pollution on every project under live scrutiny, every source addressed at its root, and every violation resulting in real consequences.
Unlike previous policies of more promises and less action, he said the present government under CM Rekha Gupta is determined to deliver measurable results on the ground. “We are working relentlessly to bring some systemic change in the system to effectively keep a check on harmful emissions that pollute the air of Delhi throughout the year, especially during winter season. Every project is being remotely monitored round-the-clock for compliance,” he added.
Remote monitoring infrastructure — including 360-degree video fencing and live-linked PM2.5 and PM10 sensors — has been introduced to ensure transparency in enforcement, the minister said, adding that public display boards with the DPCC Portal registration ID has been made mandatory at construction sites to keep every project’s compliance status visible to citizens and stakeholders.
Beyond construction sites, he said that DPCC teams are inspecting diesel generator (DG) sets and those industries that contribute to air-pollution, mandating the installation of retrofitted emission control devices or conversion to clean fuel modes, and pushing all industries to transition to cleaner piped natural gas (PNG) as per CAQM directives.
Sirsa informed that Delhi’s winter action plan, dust-control protocols, construction compliance norms, road sprinkling schedules, mechanical sweeping deployment, and waste-management systems have been active for several months.
The DPCC has informed that over 1,800 enforcement personnel, alongside 35 specialised DPCC teams, are active across Delhi, representing agencies such as the MCD, DDA, PWD, NDMC, Revenue, agriculture department and the Traffic Police.
During the review, the minister noted that the DPCC and MCD have intensified their efforts at more than 62 identified traffic-prone hotspots, where dust suppression, sweeping and waste-lifting operations have been expanded.