New Delhi, December 3: Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced the formation of a high-level panel with special powers to address the capital’s worsening air quality, calling the fight against pollution an “emergency mission.”
Gupta said the committee would operate continuously and include senior officials from key government departments, environmental scientists and experts from leading Indian Institutes of Technology. The panel is expected to coordinate rapid-response measures and strengthen enforcement across the city.
She said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had been instructed to issue challans and impose heavy penalties on both public and private agencies that fail to comply with pollution-control and cleanliness norms. “Negligence in reducing pollution will not be tolerated,” Gupta said.
The chief minister added that the government would file police complaints against departments and engineers involved in unauthorised road-cutting or failing to restore roads properly. Poorly restored roadworks are frequently cited as contributors to dust pollution in the capital.
The announcement followed a review meeting chaired by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who called for time-bound actions and stricter enforcement of anti-pollution measures across Delhi and the wider National Capital Region, where air quality typically worsens during winter months.
