The Delhi government has intensified coordination with neighbouring National Capital Region (NCR) districts to tackle winter air pollution, with Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Sunday reviewing measures to ease congestion at border points and strengthen enforcement against polluting vehicles.
According to an official statement, Sirsa chaired a high-level meeting with senior traffic police and police officials from Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, Gurugram, Sonipat and Bahadurgarh to assess preparedness for implementing pollution-control measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM).
Emphasising that air pollution was a regional problem requiring coordinated intervention, Sirsa said effective border management, smoother traffic movement, cleaner public transport and action against non-compliant vehicles would remain central to Delhi's winter pollution-control strategy.
๐๐ผ๐ฐ๐๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป
The meeting focused on synchronising traffic movement across NCR borders and deploying adequate personnel at congestion-prone locations to reduce vehicular emissions caused by prolonged traffic jams.
Participating agencies discussed stricter enforcement of Pollution Under Control (PUC) norms, including action against visibly polluting vehicles.
Officials were directed to ensure compliance with restrictions on heavy vehicles, particularly trucks passing through Delhi without having the national capital as their destination.
Such vehicles will be diverted through the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways to minimise unnecessary heavy-vehicle movement within the city.
The meeting also reviewed enforcement of restrictions on overage diesel and petrol vehicles, along with other non-compliant vehicles, in accordance with applicable court orders and regulations.
๐ฆ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐บ๐ถ๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ป๐ผ๐ฟ๐บ๐
The government reiterated that buses operating in Delhi-NCR from cities and towns outside the national capital must comply with prescribed fuel and emission standards.
According to the statement, buses other than electric, CNG or BS-VI-compliant diesel vehicles will not be permitted to operate in the region under applicable directions.
Officials also discussed awareness campaigns encouraging commuters to use public transport as part of efforts to reduce vehicular emissions.
Display boards will be installed at border checkpoints to inform motorists and interstate transport operators about applicable restrictions and compliance requirements.
๐ญ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ถ๐น๐
Delhi Traffic Police informed the meeting that enforcement against traffic and pollution-related violations had been intensified.
According to the official statement, more than 10,000 challans were being issued daily on average under the ongoing enforcement drive.
The meeting also discussed deploying additional enforcement teams as further restrictions under the Winter Action Plan and GRAP come into force.
Officials emphasised real-time information sharing among enforcement agencies to facilitate prompt action against non-compliant vehicles entering or moving across NCR borders.
The coordinated approach is aimed at improving enforcement efficiency and preventing delays in implementing pollution-control restrictions.
๐๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐น ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ฒ๐
Alongside measures targeting vehicular emissions, the Delhi government will intensify dust-control operations across the city.
These will include water sprinkling, mechanical road sweeping, dust suppression activities and cleanliness drives.
The government said coordination among Delhi and neighbouring NCR authorities would remain an important component of its strategy to control pollution during the winter months.