Beyond odd-even: CM pitches long-term pollution fix

New Delhi: Positioning innovation and entrepreneurship at the heart of Delhi’s fight against pollution, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday inaugurated the “Innovative Solutions Against Pollution” exhibition at IIT Delhi on the occasion of National Startup Day, asserting that young innovators can become the strongest force in building a pollution-free capital.

The exhibition showcased prototypes of 33 solutions selected under the Innovation Challenge announced in June 2025, a flagship initiative aimed at involving startups and youth in the city’s long-term pollution control strategy. Addressing the participants, Gupta said their ideas reflected a “powerful and hopeful vision for a cleaner Delhi.” Emphasising the role of entrepreneurship, she said, “The youth of Delhi must move from being job seekers to becoming job creators.” She described air pollution as one of the capital’s most serious challenges and said the government has moved beyond short-term fixes.

“Measures such as odd-even and ‘Red Light On, Engine Off’ were interim steps. We are now working on sustainable, time-bound and technology-driven solutions,” the Chief Minister said. She highlighted initiatives including removal of legacy waste, cleaning of the Yamuna, dust mitigation and expansion of green cover. Gupta also underlined a major ecological milestone, saying, “For the first time, 4,200 hectares of ridge area in Delhi have been officially notified as forest land.” She added that dense forests are being developed through plantations of indigenous, oxygen-giving trees. Stressing the scale of the challenge, she said, “Pollution impacts air, water, land and life, and addressing it requires the innovative strength of our youth.”

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that over the past eight months, the Delhi government has focused on deploying technologies capable of delivering “visible and measurable” reductions in pollution.