Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Sirsa on Thursday chaired a comprehensive review meeting with all the District Magistrates of the National Capital Territory of Delhi to formulate a coordinated district-level strategy to mitigate pollution and strengthen environmental governance across the city.
Addressing the officers, Sirsa stated, “Dust pollution remains one of the most significant contributors to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality. Every DM must proactively identify sources of dust generation and work with all concerned departments to implement effective mitigation measures.”
He said whether it is damaged roads, construction activity or poor maintenance, every source of dust must be addressed through coordinated and result-oriented action.
He directed them to launch a coordinated drive against all the pollution hotspots across the national capital with utmost seriousness.
The meeting focused on identifying pollution hotspots, improving traffic management to reduce congestion, strengthening dust mitigation measures, removing encroachments, improving maintenance of public parks, monitoring polluting industries, and ensuring seamless coordination among all concerned departments.
Sirsa directed all the DMs to undertake an intensive mapping of pollution hotspots in their respective jurisdictions in close coordination with Delhi Police, Traffic Police, Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and other agencies.
The DMs have been asked to submit periodic progress reports and attend review meetings to monitor the implementation of action points and ensure time-bound outcomes.
Emphasising inter-departmental coordination, the minister further said, “The fight against pollution is a collective effort. District Magistrates must work in complete coordination with Delhi Police, MCD, PWD, DPCC, and other agencies to identify pollution hotspots.”
“Every hotspot represents a source of pollution, and reducing these hotspots will directly improve Delhi’s air quality,” he emphasized.
The DMs will have to prepare a comprehensive inventory of parks where boundary walls are damaged, or maintenance is inadequate, so that necessary restoration work can be undertaken.
For reviewing industrial pollution, Sirsa instructed the officials to identify polluting industries in coordination with Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and recommend necessary regulatory action wherever required.
The Minister asserted that government is strengthening compliance mechanisms to ensure that industrial units operate strictly in accordance with environmental norms.
He highlighted the Rekha Gupta government’s initiative to significantly enhance Delhi’s air quality monitoring infrastructure through the proposed installation of AQI monitoring sensors across the city.
This expanded monitoring network will enable authorities to accurately identify the specific sources of pollution, that include vehicular emissions, industrial activity, road dust and construction, which will enable better and more focused interventions at the local level.