NEW DELHI: Lieutenant-Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Monday held discussions with Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) Chairperson Rajesh Verma to review ongoing pollution-control measures and emphasised the need for a time-bound roadmap to improve air quality across Delhi and the National Capital Region.
During the meeting, the L-G reviewed efforts to curb air pollution and stressed the importance of coordinated action to safeguard public health and ensure a cleaner and more sustainable future for the Capital.
Discussions focused on effective implementation of pollution-control measures, inter-agency coordination and long-term environmental strategies.
Officials identified road dust, vehicular emissions, biomass burning and industrial pollution as the major contributors to air pollution in Delhi-NCR. Sandhu noted that while biomass burning and industrial pollution largely originate from across the NCR and neighbouring states, road dust remains a significant local challenge.
Describing air pollution as a regional issue requiring regional solutions, the Lieutenant-Governor called for coordinated action by all concerned agencies and urged them to work on a war footing to achieve measurable improvements before the winter season.
He observed that road dust is a major contributor to PM10 and PM2.5 pollution and stressed that dust mitigation should form the backbone of Delhi’s clean-air strategy. He emphasised the need for time-bound measures to make roads substantially dust-free.
According to officials, the L-G highlighted the importance of deploying more Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines, repairing roads, ensuring end-to-end road coverage and promptly disposing of silt removed from drains. Expanding mechanised sweeping, increasing plantation along road corridors and improving the use of dust-control infrastructure were also discussed.
L-G stresses on need for tech-driven monitoring
The meeting was attended by representatives of CAQM, MCD, PWD, DDA, NDMC, I&FCD and other agencies. The L-G emphasised the need for technology-driven monitoring, real-time tracking and data-based assessments to strengthen accountability and improve outcomes.