Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday unveiled a specialised high-level expert committee dedicated to tackling pollution in the national capital on a continuous basis. The panel will comprise senior officials from key government departments, environmental science specialists, and experts from IIT, and will be equipped with special powers to fast-track action on pollution-control measures.
Issuing a series of strict directives, the Chief Minister instructed all departments to identify and fix potholes within 72 hours. Road-maintenance agencies have been told to ensure that no stretch remains damaged, while the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has been empowered to challan government bodies found negligent. The Public Works Department (PWD) has additionally been asked to repair potholes across its 1,400-km road network on priority and upload before-and-after photos on the designated monitoring app.
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Gupta emphasised that the government is treating pollution control as an “emergency mission” and warned that departments showing laxity will face consequences. The DPCC has been ordered to levy heavy penalties on agencies failing to meet pollution-control and cleanliness norms. She further directed authorities to file FIRs against departments engaged in unauthorised road-cutting or failing to restore roads properly.
The directives were issued during a high-level review meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, where ongoing measures were evaluated and departments were instructed to operate on a “war footing.” The meeting was attended by Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, Chief Secretary Rajiv Verma, and senior officials from PWD, MCD, DDA, Environment and Forest, DSIIDC, Delhi Metro, NBCC, Power, and DUSIB. Gupta stressed that while long-term strategies will progress, immediate interventions must be intensified.
Reiterating strict accountability, the Chief Minister said that no agency—government or private—would be spared for negligence. She also urged joint responsibility between government departments and citizens to combat pollution effectively.
Environment Minister Sirsa announced that the “311 Green App” is being strengthened as the central platform for monitoring potholes, brown zones and dust hotspots via the Green War Room. A detailed plan is being finalised to implement dust-free and green measures in identified brown areas. All construction sites have been ordered to install proper fencing and comply with pollution norms within 48 hours.
(This story is published from a syndicated feed)
