Improve construction quality to reduce dust: CM to officials

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday directed officials to help reduce dust pollution by ensuring that there is improvement in the quality of construction projects being undertaken in the city.

“The road, footpath, and the entire roadside area must be made durable and structurally strong. A robust response system will also be developed to ensure that complaints regarding potholes are addressed within 24 to 48 hours,” she said, adding that there should be “regular and timely” cleaning and pollution control machines should be used wherever possible.

Clean-air innovation challenge

Meanwhile, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the Delhi government will conduct a clean-air innovation challenge and showcase it at Indian Institute of Technology(IIT), Delhi, later this month.

The challenge, part of a larger strategy to ensure clean air in the Capital through science-based interventions and systemic reforms, has seen screening of nearly 300 entries in the first round. 

After candidates are shortlisted, an event will be held over multiple days, with three-four rounds planned in total, one for each batch of entries screened.

The audience will include government and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials, students, and alumni of IIT Delhi. It will be open to the public.

Mr. Sirsa said the winning projects will receive incentives from the DPCC of ₹5 lakh each after successful evaluation and testing by the Internal Technical Evaluation Committee, and additional ₹50 lakh for solutions recommended to be deployedby the government.

He said that Delhi is building a “safety shield” around the national capital by combining enforcement with innovation, citizen participation, and cutting-edge technologies. Dates and further event details are yet to be announced.

Air quality worsened to the “very poor“ category on Thursday, and it is likely to remain at the same level for the next six days, according to official data.