NEW DELHI: Delhi’s persistent air pollution crisis has been worsened by systemic failures in pollution control and enforcement, according to a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the Delhi Assembly on Tuesday.
The report, which focuses on vehicular emissions, points to irregularities in the issuance of Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificates, poor enforcement of pollution laws, and a lack of coordination among agencies as key contributors to the worsening air quality in the capital.
The audit found that more than 1.08 lakh vehicles were granted PUC certificates despite exceeding permissible limits for carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC).
In many cases, multiple vehicles received these certificates within mere seconds of each other, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the certification process.
Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 4,000 diesel vehicles that failed to meet pollution norms continued to operate legally due to lenient certification practices. “Vehicles are one of the major local contributors to Delhi’s poor air quality,” the report noted, underscoring the urgent need for stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.
The audit also highlighted shortcomings in the deregistration of overage vehicles. Between 2018-19 and 2020-21, Delhi was supposed to de-register 47.51 lakh end-of-life vehicles (ELVs), but only 2.98 lakh—just 6.27%—were actually removed from records.
Meanwhile, 93.73% (over 44.53 lakh) of these vehicles remained officially registered as of March 2021, indicating that many were still in use. The failure to scrap these vehicles further contributed to rising pollution levels.
Adding to the problem, none of the 347 vehicles impounded for pollution violations by March 2021 had been scrapped, while impounding facilities remain severely inadequate. The existing pits have the capacity to hold just 4,000 vehicles, a fraction of the 41 lakh vehicles awaiting scrapping.
The CAG report also pointed to enforcement failures within the transport department, citing a shortage of staff and a lack of properly equipped vehicles for on-the-spot pollution checks. Many enforcement teams lacked mobile PUC testing equipment, making it difficult to monitor visibly polluting vehicles or effectively regulate the major entry points into the city.
Additionally, the absence of real-time data on vehicle density in different areas meant that the few available enforcement teams were deployed inefficiently.
Despite various pollution control initiatives and action plans over the years, the report noted that Delhi’s air quality crisis is not solely due to external factors such as stubble burning in neighboring states. Instead, systemic failures within the city, including lax enforcement, ineffective policies, have worsened the situation.
Additional factors aggravating crisis as per the audit report
The report also flagged improper waste disposal and limited green cover as additional factors aggravating the crisis. It identified vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, construction dust, and biomass burning as the primary sources of air pollution in the capital. While the Delhi government has introduced multiple policies to combat pollution, their effectiveness has been undermined by weak implementation
Key Contributors to worsening Air quality
More than 1.08 lakh vehicles were granted PUC certificates despite exceeding permissible limits for carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbons (HC)
Multiple vehicles received these certificates within mere seconds of each other, raising serious concerns about the credibility of the certification process.
Between 2015 and 2020, nearly 4,000 diesel vehicles that failed to meet pollution norms continued to operate legally due to lenient certification practices.
Report also highlighted shortcomings in the deregistration of overage vehicles