New Delhi: Delhi stepped up its fight against air pollution on Monday as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated six new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) and launched the ‘Vayu Rakshak’ initiative, deploying 100 personnel to strengthen on-ground enforcement. The move significantly expands the capital’s real-time monitoring network and signals the government’s intent to tackle pollution throughout the year rather than through seasonal measures.
The programme, held at the Delhi Secretariat in the presence of Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior officials, is aimed at combining data-driven monitoring with stricter enforcement to ensure sustained action against deteriorating air quality.
The six monitoring stations were inaugurated online at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), SPMSPC Talkatora Garden, Commonwealth Sports Complex, Delhi Cantonment and Netaji Subhas University of Technology (West Campus). With their addition, Delhi now has 46 CAAQMS, the highest for any city in the country.
Of these, 30 are operated by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 10 by the India Meteorological Department/IITM, and six by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The government has also planned 14 more stations to further
expand the network.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister stressed that pollution requires continuous attention. She said, “Air pollution is a year-round challenge and not limited to a particular season,” adding that the government is committed to addressing the issue through monitoring, policy intervention and enforcement.
Emphasising the administration’s responsibility, she noted that “providing clean and breathable air to the people of Delhi is a core responsibility of the government.”
Highlighting transparency, Gupta said that air quality data is available in the public domain, with PM10 and PM2.5 levels updated hourly and other parameters refreshed every five minutes. She underlined the importance of evidence-based decisions, stating that the government believes in policymaking backed by transparent data.
Referring to transport reforms, the Chief Minister said the Delhi Transport Corporation operates nearly 4,000 electric buses, the highest number in the country, and aims to induct 14,000 clean-fuel buses by 2028.
She also cited landfill remediation, waste-to-energy projects, mechanical road sweeping, mist spraying, dust control measures and expansion of green cover among ongoing initiatives.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa underscored the need for strict implementation, saying, “Monitoring must be complemented with strict enforcement to achieve tangible results.”
He added that “the deployment of 100 ‘Vayu Rakshaks’ will ensure that pollution control measures are implemented effectively at the ground level.”
Sirsa further informed that of the 233 vacant posts in the DPCC, 157 have been filled in the past 11 months, strengthening enforcement capacity across sectors such as vehicular emissions, construction activities, road dust management and plantation.
Under the initiative, 100 ‘Vayu Rakshaks’ will coordinate with the DPCC for pollution control, while an additional 600 personnel, working with the Delhi Police, will monitor violations related to traffic and emissions, marking a sharper enforcement push in the capital’s ongoing battle against air pollution.