A view of Kartavya Path lawn covered in dense smog amid deteriorating air quality in New Delhi on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: ANI
Two proposals to procure new mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSMs) were passed during a Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday as part of the civic body’s push to tackle dust on city roads and combat air pollution.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) councillors jointly raised concerns over rising pollution levels in the meeting. They demanded accountability from officials on the progress of anti-pollution measures.
The committee cleared the proposals to procure 14 new MRSMs with comprehensive operation and maintenance (COMC) for three years, sanctioned through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) fund and municipal funds. The MCD’s plan to curb dust pollution shows that a major portion of its budget for the purpose has been allocated to expanding MRSMs and undertaking road repairs under its jurisdiction.
The MCD has also drafted a ₹516.35-crore estimate to procure 60 more MRSMs with 10 years of COMC for the roads it oversees, a senior official said. “We have estimated ₹93.92 crore for 60 vacuum-based, battery-operated litter-picker machines for eight years and for upgrading primary C&D waste collection centres by adding water sprinklers and air-quality sensors,” the official added. The Delhi government has granted in-principle approval of ₹610.27 crore for these three projects.
Currently, the MCD operates 52 MRSMs, 167 water sprinklers, and 28 anti-smog machines on roads, as well as 15 anti-smog guns installed on high-rise buildings, in line with the Lieutenant-Governor’s directions. The committee also rejected a pending proposal to standardise salaries of multitasking staff (public health workers) at ₹27,900 per month, a key demand during their month-long protest in October.
New pollution hotspots
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said on Wednesday that the government is waging a war against pollution and urged people to join its efforts to improve the city’s air quality. The Minister said that nearly 62 additional pollution hotspots have been identified and tackling them could significantly reduce overall pollution levels. “The dust that accumulates on roads and emissions from vehicles are major contributors. To address this, specific hotspots have been identified across Delhi, and we are working to mitigate them,” Mr. Sirsa told the media.
“This is a war against pollution waged by the Delhi government. For the sake of future generations and cleaner air, we are taking to the streets to fight this battle. Today, we are inspecting this area in Palam, a known hotspot, to ensure the absence of traffic jams and to keep traffic flowing smoothly,” he said.
Delhi’s overall air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Wednesday and is expected to deteriorate to ‘severe’ by Saturday, according to official data.
Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday ordered the Directorate of Education (DoE) to submit a status report on a plea by school students seeking a ban on outdoor sports tournaments and trials in the Capital during the peak pollution period from November to January.
‘Shirking responsibility’
The court asked the School Federation of India Games (SFIG) to file a status report in the matter while observing that the DoE was “shirking its responsibility”. The counsel for the DoE submitted that changing the calendar was SFIG’s responsibility, and if the SFIG changes it, the DoE will follow suit.
“Do you recognise that there is a problem from November to January? Do you accept that children should not be subjected to outdoor activities? ” Justice Sachin Datta orally told the DoE counsel.
Published – November 20, 2025 01:07 am IST
