The Prime Minister’s Office on Monday held a review meeting on the issue of air pollution in Delhi, wherein, it said that a system will be put in place for a permanent long-term solution.

Principal Secretary to Prime Minister P K Mishra said that after taking short-term measures, a system will be put in place for a permanent long-term solution.

The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of pre-emptive action, as necessary. He said there is a need to establish a mechanism for immediate action.

The PMO also sought details from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on the additional measures taken in the last 24 hours check fresh cases of fire and stubble burning and called for pre-emptive action to curb pollution.

The Punjab Chief Secretary said that he is personally monitoring the situation with Deputy Commissioners of various districts where hotspots have been identified, adding that the government is taking strict action by enforcing the necessary fines for incidents of violation of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act.

The Haryana Chief Secretary, in the review meeting, said that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has directed all concerned to reduce the cases of stubble burning in the state at the earliest.

The Chief Secretary, Delhi stated that water sprinkling has been intensified, and identified hotspots and corridors are being focussed upon to improve the situation. Open dumping of garbage in the city has been stopped and maximum fine is being imposed and collected from the violators of these norms.

The Principal Advisor to the Prime Minister PK Sinha, Cabinet Secretary, Secretary, Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Secretary, Agriculture, Chairman, Central Pollution Control Board, Director General of India Meteorological Department and Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi along with other senior officials, attended the meeting.

The meeting comes hours after the Supreme Court lashed out at the Centre, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab governments over the deteriorating air quality in the national capital.

The top court panned the Delhi government over its toxic air and questioned the capability of the Odd-Even road rationing scheme in combating air pollution.

The Odd-Even rule came into force in the national capital Monday morning at 8 am and will continue till 8 pm. The 12-hour scheme will continue till November 15.

The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) value on Monday morning was 437. On Sunday, unprecedented air pollution hovered over 625 AQI across Delhi and hit the 999-mark in parts of the national capital like Bawana.