New Delhi, May 27: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, held a significant review meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta and senior officials on Tuesday. The meeting assessed the progress of ongoing measures aimed at improving air quality in the national capital. Yadav emphasized the urgent need for swift implementation, robust inter-agency coordination, and strict enforcement to ensure a substantial reduction in pollution levels before the onset of winter.
Present at the meeting were Delhi government ministers Pravesh Verma and Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, along with other key officials. Yadav stressed that continuous and coordinated action from all stakeholders is essential to combat air pollution. He commended the efforts made by the Delhi government but noted that any shortcomings in implementation should be addressed in a mission-oriented manner.
He highlighted that the upcoming months are critical for managing Delhi’s air quality. Timely completion, strict enforcement, and coordinated ground-level actions are necessary to protect public health and enhance citizens’ quality of life.
Addressing the issue of dust pollution on roads, Yadav called for a more focused approach to meet annual road reconstruction targets. He urged the need to eliminate delays in planning, tendering processes, and supply chain disruptions.
The minister encouraged the Delhi government to expedite the implementation of targeted action plans, ensuring that all pending reconstruction work is completed by October 2026. He also called for extensive greening activities by identifying open spaces along roads to mitigate dust pollution.
Yadav mentioned that a memorandum of agreement with the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) could be finalized by the end of May 2026 to ensure compliance with established road development standards.
He reviewed the deployment of mechanized road cleaning machines (MRSM) and highlighted the need for a significant increase in their current numbers. The minister requested the Delhi government to accelerate the road cleaning campaign and ensure the deployment of 78 large and medium-sized MRSMs, along with 1,000 waste collection machines, by September 2026. He noted that thorough road cleaning and dust control are among the most effective measures to reduce particulate pollution in urban areas.
On the topic of public transport and electric mobility, Yadav emphasized the need for increased procurement of electric buses. He urged the Delhi government to address this gap through a phased action plan by October 2026. He also stressed the urgent need to expand the public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles (EVs) across the city. Highlighting the importance of regional coordination, the minister suggested that incentives should be provided to promote the adoption of electric vehicles in the NCR region.
Yadav underscored the necessity to strengthen Delhi’s metro network and improve multi-modal last-mile connectivity to enhance public transport usage and reduce vehicle-related pollution.
Emphasizing the importance of public participation and coordinated institutional action, Yadav proposed that intensive greening and cleaning campaigns be initiated immediately and continued even after the monsoon. This would help address the accumulation of dust on roads, drains, and railway tracks, which is a major contributor to air pollution.
The minister reiterated that collective responsibility and continuous action at all levels are crucial for controlling air pollution. The central government is committed to working with the Delhi government and all stakeholders to ensure clean air for the residents of Delhi.
He further suggested that the Delhi government could form a task force comprising political and governmental representatives to tackle major air pollution areas in the national capital. These teams could coordinate with relevant agencies to monitor implementation closely and ensure accountability within the set timelines.
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