Union Environment Minister Reviews Delhi’s Air Pollution Action Plan with Delhi CM
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EFCC), Shri Bhupender Yadav today chaired a high-level meeting to undertake a detailed review of the Action Plans of the Government of NCT of Delhi for tackling air pollution in the NCR cities. The meeting formed part of the regular annual review mechanism to assess progress and strengthen implementation of identified measures. Dignitaries present in the meeting included Chief Minister (NCT Delhi), Smt. Rekha Gupta, Union Minister of State (EFCC), Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh and Delhi Environment Minister Sardar Manjinder Singh Sirsa, besides senior officials from MoEFCC and Delhi Government.
At the outset, Shri Yadav congratulated the officials of Delhi Government and related agencies for their sustained efforts in containing air pollution in the National capital. He recalled that in 2021, the Union Government enacted a dedicated law and constituted the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) as a forward-looking step. The airshed of Delhi NCR was identified to precisely determine pollution sources across the region. He noted that air pollution in NCR is driven by both anthropogenic activities and meteorological factors, and emphasized that long-term policy interventions, rather than quick fixes, are essential.
On vehicular pollution, the Minister highlighted the need for smart traffic management, particularly at 62 identified congestion hotspots, to ensure smoother traffic flow. He stressed strict action against polluting vehicles, including a special registration drive, installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems at border entry points, and exploration of staggered office timings to reduce peak-hour congestion. Measures such as incentivisation of electric vehicles, accelerated expansion of charging infrastructure, congestion charges, smart parking management and a uniform vehicle registration policy for NCR were discussed. Shri Yadav underscored that behavioural change and public participation are critical for the success of these measures.
The Minister emphasized strengthening end-to-end public transport through accelerated augmentation of Delhi Metro and city bus services, along with improved last-mile connectivity under an Integrated Transport Plan for NCR cities, to encourage greater public transport usage. The Delhi Metro Corporation presented its detailed expansion plan in the coming years, while Delhi Transport Department informed that out of the scheduled bus induction plan of 14,000 buses, an order has been placed with CESL for a total of 3,350 electric buses, all of which will augment the city’s public transport fleet.
The meeting was attended by the Secretary (MoEFCC), Chairman, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), Senior officers from MoEFCC and State Government of NCT Delhi. Also present in the meeting were senior officers from CPCB, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), NDMC, Delhi Metro, Delhi Police and PWD.(updated on 12th january 2026)
