Digital Team, New Delhi. Taking another decisive step towards tackling air pollution in the capital, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday launched 6 new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) and 100 'Vayu Rakshak' initiatives. The Chief Minister says that the fight against pollution is not just a winter campaign, but a year-round campaign and the Delhi government is continuously taking effective steps for this.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa and senior officials of the Environment Department were also present in the program organized at Delhi Secretariat. The Chief Minister inaugurated the monitoring stations online and 'Vayu Rakshak' was flagged off. On this occasion, the Chief Minister clearly said that due to the gross negligence of the previous government, air pollution in Delhi has become increasingly serious, to control which his government is continuously taking serious and effective steps. He said that working on pollution is not the responsibility of just three-four months. This is a 365 day issue. The Delhi government is reiterating its resolve today that it is our duty to provide clean, safe and breathable air to the capital.
Emphasis on data transparency and policy making
The Chief Minister laid special emphasis on the fact that air quality data is completely transparent which cannot be changed at any level. He informed that the data of PM 10 and PM 2.5 is updated online every hour and the data of other parameters is updated online every 5 minutes. This data is public, cannot be hidden. Our government believes in making policies with transparency. Making a sharp attack on the policy of the previous governments, the Chief Minister said that earlier the thinking was to make noise for a few days and then forget it. Cosmetic measures like smog towers were put in place, which had no lasting impact. Our government is going to the root of the problem and solving it.
The Chief Minister said that Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) today has the largest fleet of about 4000 EV buses in the country and a target has been set to bring 14,000 clean fuel buses in Delhi by 2028. Along with this, steps like eliminating mountains of garbage, waste to energy, mist spray, litter picker, mechanical road sweeper, anti-smog and expansion of green cover are being taken continuously. The Chief Minister said that the fight against pollution is a long one, we will have to work daily and we will keep doing it. Will also provide better air to Delhi and also make Delhi a greener city.
On this occasion, Environment Minister Shri Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that as important as monitoring is, enforcement is equally important. The Air Guard will ensure that the rules are not limited to paper only, but are implemented on the ground. He informed that there were 233 vacant posts in Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) in 2024, out of which 157 posts were filled in just 11 months, which is almost double as compared to the last 10 years. He said that Delhi's air quality has been a national level issue since 1985. Congress ruled Delhi for 15 years and Aam Aadmi Party for 10 years, but no one found a permanent solution. Today, for the first time, work is being done on the sources of pollution. He said that pollution is being controlled not just from one sector but on all fronts including vehicles, road construction, dust control and plantation.
Effective expansion of air monitoring network
6 new CAAQMS in the capital have been established at JNU, IGNOU, SPMSPC Talkatora Garden, Commonwealth Sports Complex, Delhi Cantonment and NSUT (West Campus). With their addition, a total of 46 CAAQMS have now been established in Delhi, which is more than any other city in the country. Of these 46 stations, 30 are being operated by Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 10 by India Meteorological Department/IITM, and 6 by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). 14 more stations will be established in the coming time.
‘Vayu Rakshak’: Monitoring as well as enforcement
The program also formally inaugurated the deployment of 100 'Vayu Rakshaks', who will ensure pollution control at the ground level in collaboration with DPCC. Apart from this, 600 air guards are monitoring the traffic rules violators with the help of Delhi Police.
Chyawanprash is a part of every Indian's life, it reduces diseases and increases energy.