CM flags off 50 e-buses as part of govt.’s efforts to fight air pollution

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Friday flagged off 50 new e-buses as part of the government’s broader effort to reduce air pollution in the national capital.

The CM also laid the foundation stone for an automated testing station (ATS) at the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Tehkhand depot in south Delhi. She said the government is rapidly transitioning public transport to electric mobility. Taking a dig at the previous Aam Aadmi Party government, Ms. Gupta said, “The previous government procured 2,000 buses during its tenure, while the BJP government, in just eight months, has brought 1,350 electric buses to Delhi.”

In a post on X, the CM said her government is working on every front to control pollution. “Garbage mountains are being removed, cleanliness campaigns are being run on a war footing, dust control, mechanical sweeping, and water sprinkling have been intensified, and continuous efforts are being made to make Delhi green and lush,” she said. 

On the ATS initiative, Ms. Gupta said the facility will be Delhi’s second major automated testing centre and is expected to be completed by March. Designed to manage the annual testing of around 72,000 vehicles, the station will make the vehicle fitness process “secure, transparent, and technology-based”.

The four-lane ATS, being built at a cost of ₹8 crore, will include two lanes for heavy motor vehicles, one for light motor vehicles, and one for two-wheelers.  The facility is expected to generate ₹3 crore in annual revenue for the DTC. In July, the CM laid the foundation for the city’s first ATS at the Nand Nagri depot, where construction is under way.

Uptick in air quality

Meanwhile, the air quality in the Capital improved slightly to the ‘very poor’ category on Friday after staying in the ‘severe’ category for three consecutive days. Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) at 4.30 p.m. on Friday was 387 (‘very poor’), down from 404 (‘severe’) the previous day, as per Central Pollution Control Board data. The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category for the next six days.