37 hotspots to get Jan Bhagidari interventions by October 10; focus on vehicles, dust, waste burning, construction, industry and public transport
New Delhi: Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCC) Bhupender Yadav chaired a high-level meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to review the Delhi Government’s Air Pollution Mitigation Action Plan and assess preparedness for the coming winter season.
The meeting focused on measures already implemented, their ground-level progress and additional interventions required to tackle air pollution before and during the winter months. Delhi Environment, Forest and Wildlife Minister Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, PWD Minister Pravesh Sahib Singh, and senior officials from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the Government of NCT Delhi also attended.
Jan Bhagidari at 37 hotspots
Bhupender Yadav directed authorities to organise Jan Bhagidari programmes at all 37 identified pollution hotspots by October 10, with participation from relevant stakeholders. He called for clearly defined, actionable measures for each hotspot and close monitoring of their implementation.
Public representatives will visit the hotspots along with officials and review pollution-control measures on the ground. The Union Minister said area-specific interventions, when implemented collectively, could help address multiple sources of pollution.
Yadav also stressed coordinated action to tackle pollution linked to agricultural activities. He called for discussions involving the Union Agriculture Minister and Agriculture Ministers of NCR states, with concrete action points and NCR-level plans to be finalised before October 10.
He further emphasised stronger inter-agency enforcement, public awareness and citizen participation, saying that pollution-control measures should translate into visible and tangible improvements for residents.
Rekha Gupta stresses enforcement and technology
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the Delhi Government has undertaken several measures to improve air quality but stressed that decisions must result in effective implementation on the ground.
She called for stronger coordination among agencies, particularly in enforcement and traffic management, along with greater use of technology. She suggested the use of cameras at construction sites to monitor compliance.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the need to explore technological solutions for reducing emissions from cremation grounds and to increase awareness about electric cremation facilities, including their availability to economically weaker sections.
10-point strategy for winter pollution control
Based on the deliberations, the meeting finalised a comprehensive, outcome-oriented strategy covering vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, waste and biomass burning, industrial pollution, public transport, greening and identified pollution and traffic hotspots.
Citizens, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), market associations, industries and public representatives will be involved as active partners.
1. ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ in mission mode
The ‘No PUCC, No Fuel’ initiative will be implemented across the city through an awareness and enforcement campaign covering all 500 ANPR-enabled fuel stations. Action will be taken against fuel stations found violating the requirements.
2. Public transport and last-mile connectivity
A city-wide campaign will promote the Delhi Metro Sarthi App between October 1 and 10, including download camps in association with RWAs and public representatives.
The meeting was informed that last-mile connectivity is available at all 228 Metro stations, while Delhi’s bus fleet has increased to 6,840 buses, including 5,088 electric buses.
3. Hotspot-specific action
Public representatives will regularly visit pollution and traffic hotspots along with officials, RWAs, traders and traffic police.
According to the Delhi Government, 42 hotspots have already been rectified, while eight more are targeted for completion by October. One-way traffic and decongestion trials will also be undertaken at selected hotspots in consultation with the Delhi Traffic Police.
Citizens will be encouraged to report encroachments, illegal parking and dumping points. Eight identified road stretches have already been made signal-free, with the remaining seven targeted for completion by October 2026.
4. Road redevelopment and dust control
Authorities have been directed to accelerate road redevelopment. 1,193 km of roads have been completed, with the remaining work targeted for completion by November 15.
The plan also calls for end-to-end paving of footpaths to improve walkability and reduce dust. Complaints related to these measures are to be addressed within 72 hours under the prescribed SOP.
5. Zero tolerance for open waste burning
The government will intensify deep cleaning, waste management and zero-burning measures, including ward-level monitoring, improved market waste collection and enforcement of the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2026.
The number of Material Recovery and Segregation Centres (MRSMs) has increased from 76 last year to 98.
A city-wide ‘Zero Burning’ pledge campaign will be conducted, while dedicated ward- and district/subdivision-level monitoring teams will be deployed by October 15. Heating booths will also be established on a pilot basis during winter, with special attention to unauthorised regularised colonies and JJ clusters.
6. Focus on greening and brown areas
The meeting stressed improving the survival rate of plantations and greening identified brown areas.
The Delhi Government informed the meeting that 71 lakh plantations have already been undertaken and 433 of 434 acres of identified brown areas have been greened.
7. Construction and demolition dust control
The meeting proposed making registration on the Malba App mandatory as a condition for building-plan sanction.
As part of construction and demolition dust-control measures, a ban on dust-generating demolition and outdoor civil construction activity will be imposed from November 1 to January 31. A complete ban on construction and demolition activities will remain in force from December 10 to January 20.
8. Advance winter protocol
Several advance winter measures were finalised, including restrictions on polluting vehicles, doubled parking charges, staggered office timings and 50 per cent work-from-home arrangements.
From November 1, 2026, entry of vehicles registered outside Delhi and below BS-VI emission standards will be restricted, except for CNG and electric vehicles.
9. EV adoption and Parivartan Yojana
The meeting called for wider promotion of EV Policy 2026, higher incentives for scrapping old vehicles and a mission-mode registration drive under the Parivartan Scheme.
Jan Bhagidari camps will be organised during October-November to accelerate registrations and public outreach.
10. Stronger industrial pollution monitoring
Industrial enforcement will be strengthened through an AI-enabled Command and Control Centre. The number of monitoring stations will be increased from 47 to 60, while 334 enforcement teams will be deployed to take action against non-conforming and polluting industries.
The strategy also includes stronger citizen participation, grievance redressal, daily AQI bulletins and coordinated NCR-level airshed action.
Senior officials attend meeting
The meeting was attended by MoEFCC Secretary Tanmay Kumar and CAQM Chairman Rajesh Verma, along with senior officials from MoEFCC and the Delhi Government.
Officials from the CPCB, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), MCD, NDMC, DDA, Delhi Transport Department, Delhi Metro, Delhi Police and PWD also participated in the review.
The meeting’s central focus was to shift Delhi’s winter pollution response from broad planning to hotspot-specific, time-bound and jointly monitored action, with government agencies and citizens involved in implementation.