New Delhi: The Delhi government’s ambitious Air Pollution Mitigation Plan 2025, unveiled last month by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, has drawn sharp criticism from environmental experts who argue that despite its scale, it may fall short of delivering lasting results unless key gaps are addressed, especially its lack of a regional approach and over-reliance on cosmetic interventions.
Among the critics is senior air quality researcher Dr. Amrit Verma, who says the plan falls into the trap of treating symptoms rather than causes. “If Delhi is serious about cleaning its air, the response cannot be city-centric. Pollution moves across borders, what we need is an NCR-wide transport and emissions policy, not isolated action,” he said.
The government’s decision to temporarily suspend the fuel ban on older vehicles, introduced under public pressure has also reignited debate on whether age-based scrapping is scientifically justified. Verma questioned the logic of targeting vehicles by age. “Pollution doesn’t come with a birth certificate. What matters is emissions. Banning older vehicles indiscriminately without measuring their actual output is both unfair and ineffective,” he said.
The mitigation plan promises to allow only BS-VI, CNG, and electric vehicles from outside Delhi to enter the city starting November 1, 2025. However, vehicles already registered within the city limits will not face the same restriction. Experts argue this undermines the intent of the policy and fails to address the region’s interconnected traffic ecosystem.
Glaring tech gaps in pollution control strategy
While the Delhi government has committed to deploying 2,000 electric buses and setting up 18,000 charging stations by 2027, critics say the plan misses key technological tools. “Remote emission sensing, which can detect high-emitting vehicles in real time, is being used globally to great effect,” said Verma. “Delhi has run pilots on this, but there’s no clear roadmap in the current plan to scale it up.”
He also flagged the absence of a robust public information system. “Where are the daily health advisories? Where is the public dashboard on pollution sources and hot spots? Transparency is crucial in any successful clean air mission,” he added.
Mist sprayers, artificial rain: temporary relief or distraction?
Among the more headline-grabbing initiatives are plans for cloud seeding in collaboration with IIT Kanpur and the installation of mist sprayers on electric poles across high-pollution zones. But Verma warned that these efforts, while visually impactful, offer limited long-term value. “Artificial rain requires exact weather conditions, it can’t be counted on. And mist sprayers might reduce visible dust but do nothing to curb industrial or vehicular emissions,” Priya Sachdeva, a senior environment expert stated.
She added that the government must focus on emission sources rather than surface-level suppression. “Delhi doesn’t need more showpieces. It needs structural reform and inter-state cooperation.”
With the capital bracing for another winter of hazardous air quality, experts insist that unless the government prioritises regional collaboration and real-time monitoring, the vision for clean air may remain out of reach.