He told officials that strict action should be taken against defaulters without causing unnecessary inconvenience to the general public.
Delhi-NCR Air Pollution Crisis: Bhupender Yadav Demands Visible Improvement in 7 Days
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, directed authorities across the Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday to take visible corrective measures to improve air quality within the next seven days, as pollution levels again surged into the “very poor” category with the regional Air Quality Index (AQI) reaching 376.
He led a high-level meeting with representatives from the governments of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and municipal bodies, in which he reviewed detailed action plans to curb air pollution and highlighted sustained momentum in the implementation of control measures. He told officials that strict action should be taken against defaulters without causing unnecessary inconvenience to the general public.
According to the Union environment ministry, monthly review meetings will be held beginning January 2026 to monitor state-prepared action plans and address implementation challenges at the highest level.
Yadav highlighted several tactical directives: ensure smooth management of traffic at 62 identified congestion hotspots; promote electric vehicle (EV) and CNG buses for corporate and industrial employees; introduce staggered office and commercial timings to ease peak-hour congestion; and expand special end-to-end public transport services on high-traffic routes.
The minister also instructed intensified enforcement against illegal and polluting industrial units operating in the region and stressed coordinated planning with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and state authorities to improve last-mile metro connectivity across NCR cities.
Officials said that among the key immediate actions were directives to remove dust and construction and demolition (C&D) waste from roads, contain biomass burning, ban demolition activities during peak pollution periods, and deploy GPS-tracked road sweeping machines to control dust. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) was asked to guide municipal bodies on restricting demolition unless appropriate waste handling facilities are available nearby.
According to the ministry, Yadav’s statement reiterated the government’s focus on visible air quality improvement within a week, paired with planned interstate coordination and sustained enforcement to combat the chronic smog affecting millions across Delhi-NCR.
Source: Hindustan Times
