Delhi CM pitches for year-round anti-pollution plan

The Hindu

3 days ago

NEW DELHI
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday highlighted the Delhi government's initiatives, such as the Delhi Electric Vehicle Interconnector (DEVi) scheme, hi-tech machines for water sprinkling and road sweeping, and new policies to prevent garbage burning at both localities and landfills as key measures to combat the Capital's air pollution.
Speaking at Aironomics-2025, an event where policymakers and experts discussed clean air as a driver of India's economic growth, Ms. Gupta underlined the need for public involvement.
She said the government will seek people's participation, from Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), ensuring proper disposal of construction waste to providing heaters to guards in winter so they don't burn firewood.
Year-round problem
'The previous governments treated pollution as a winter issue. But pollution is not seasonal. In winter, slowed air flow makes pollution more visible, but we must work to control it all year,' the CM said, stressing long-term reforms.
'We've backed our ambition with resources. ₹300 crore has been allocated in this year's budget for pollution control,' Ms. Gupta said. She also noted that the Delhi Pollution Control Committee's vacancies had been reduced from 60% to 34%, with a target of 25% by June.
The CM also said the government will continue to promote electric vehicles, with subsidy plans in the pipeline. A blueprint is being prepared to establish 48,000 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across Delhi by 2026 under the DEVi initiative.
Aironomics 2025, hosted by the Council for International Economic Understanding (CIEU) and organised under the Bharat Climate Forum in collaboration with advisory firm Dalberg, brought together representatives from the WHO, UNEP, the World Bank, IITs, TERI, NGT, CPCB, and others.
Key discussions included carbon markets, green bonds, real-time air quality monitoring technology, and grassroots engagement. The CIEU projected investment opportunities worth ₹35,000 crore and job creation potential in the biogas and EV sectors.
National priority
The key discussions included financing models like carbon markets and green bonds, technology for real-time air quality monitoring and community-driven initiatives.
The summit reiterated that poor air quality is a year-round, pan-India crisis, costing the economy an estimated $95 billion annually. Ashwani Mahajan, Co-convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, the economic wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), stressed the need for coordinated action across ministries and States to bridge gaps in enforcement, funding, and institutional mandates.
The event concluded with a call to transform policy consensus into coordinated implementation across institutions and sectors, reaffirming clean air as a national development priority.