NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at turning public transport into a tool against air pollution, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Thursday announced an open innovation challenge, inviting individuals and startups to design pollution-curbing devices that can be installed atop moving buses and trucks in the capital.
“Delhi Government has embarked upon an ambitious journey to tackle head on the menace of Delhi Pollution by using science and technology. We believe that innovation is the solution to the pollution. It is innovation that will kill pollution,” Sirsa said.
The initiative, which will soon open for public submissions, will be overseen by a scientific panel that will evaluate ideas on the basis of efficacy, cost-effectiveness and power efficiency. Promising solutions may be supported with seed funding, with the government potentially inviting tenders for wider implementation.
“We do not believe in scheme for scheme sake,” said the minister. “We believe that this scheme will not only curb pollution but also lead to increase in industrial production, the two clear cut objectives of Delhi Government announced by our CM Rekha Gupta.”
Sirsa emphasised the government’s intent to remove bureaucratic roadblocks for innovators and said, “Indians are, by their very nature, innovative… however, their innovation is often subdued by red-tapism.” The announcement was followed by a live demonstration of advanced dust mitigation vehicles outside the Delhi Secretariat. These included fully electric road sweepers, litter suction units, and high-pressure water jetting vehicles—all running on lithium-ion batteries.
“These are not just machines—they represent a new approach,” Sirsa said. “We are doing what previous governments only promised… We are delivering cleaner streets with technology and intent.” The minister also reviewed the deployment of anti-smog guns and water sprinklers across Delhi and reiterated that the city’s fight against pollution is driven by “technology, speed, and seriousness.”