NCR Air Crisis: Authorities Given One Week for Cleaner Skies

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav has mandated a swift improvement in Delhi-NCR air quality within a week. During a review meeting, authorities were urged to sustain current actions until tangible results are observed, emphasizing strict penalties for non-compliance without causing public disruption. A follow-up review is scheduled in 15 days.

Further directives focus on enhancing traffic flow at 62 hotspots, encouraging the use of EV and CNG buses for corporate employees, and staggering office hours to ease peak-hour congestion. Cities like Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Noida are tasked with accelerating the implementation of smart traffic management systems.

Coordinated efforts will also address last-mile connectivity via Metro, rapid removal of encroachments, road maintenance for pothole-free conditions, and effective drainage systems. The minister stressed the removal of dust, construction debris, and biomass burning, alongside enforcing construction bans during high pollution periods, all under the Central Air Quality Monitoring agency's supervision.