New Delhi, Dec 3: Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting on Delhi–NCR air pollution, directing all State and UT authorities to fast-track on-ground implementation of decisions taken in previous reviews.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa also attended the meeting.
Minister Yadav stressed “high-quality, time-bound execution” of action plans across key areas, including road repair, dust control, construction waste management, industry compliance, smart traffic management, public transport expansion and greening of open spaces.
He asked all stakeholders to prepare detailed annual action plans with monthly and weekly targets to curb pollution at the source.
On industrial emissions, the Minister said non-compliant units would be supported to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems and pollution-control devices by December 31, 2025, warning that strict action, including closure, would follow for defaulters.
He reviewed progress on road development and instructed NCR States to speed up pothole repair, adopt digital monitoring and deploy more mechanical road sweepers.
Traffic congestion at 62 hotspots in Delhi also came up, with an emphasis on immediate short-term fixes and stricter enforcement.
The meeting noted the ongoing shift to electric public transport, with 3,400 e-buses currently operating and numbers expected to rise above 5,000 by March 2026. Officials were urged to act against below-BS-IV commercial vehicles.
Minister Yadav also called for identifying new greening sites, reviving eco-clubs in schools and involving local communities in conservation efforts. Senior officials from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and central agencies participated in the review.
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