Air pollution does not recognise State boundaries, coordinated action required: Union Minister
Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav directed all agencies to move beyond planning and ensure rigorous, time-bound, and coordinated enforcement on the ground
Air pollution transcends state boundaries, necessitating collaborative efforts to curb its impact, as asserted by Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on November 14, 2026. The Union Minister underscored the necessity for unified enforcement of pollution control measures across the National Capital Region (NCR), emphasizing real-time monitoring via Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs) and stringent accountability of field officers for rule breaches.
Delhi's air quality persists as 'very poor', but incoming rain may offer a brief respite. At a review meeting, the minister directed all agencies to transition from planning to rigorous, time-bound, and coordinated enforcement on the ground. He mandated State governments to designate secretary-level officials in seven Haryana cities, four Uttar Pradesh cities, and four Rajasthan cities to oversee implementation of pollution control measures through field visits and report to the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) weekly.
According to experts, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) should publish peak values of air pollution and incorporate them in calculating the Air Quality Index (AQI). Even if PM.25 is hypothetically set at 1,000 µg/m³ due to missing data, Delhi's air pollution during Deepavali would be 49% higher, the experts noted.
The Union Minister directed all concerned states to install Automatic Number-plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras at fuel stations, linked to VAHAN and Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) databases, to intensify action against old and polluting vehicles. Failure to do so would result in criminal prosecution of delinquent Transport Department officials after November 30.
Additionally, the CPCB was ordered to immediately seal 191 non-conforming polluting industries that had not installed air pollution control devices (APCDs) despite repeated instructions.
The minister advocated the strict implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and urged NCR States to adopt Delhi’s hotspot-focused winter action plan, encompassing traffic management, remote work, construction restrictions, and prevention of open burning. With only 3,221 km of the planned 5,480 km of road reconstructions completed, the minister instructed road-owning agencies to prioritize pothole repairs, damaged footpaths, central verges, and end-to-end paving according to the CAQM framework, incorporating AI-based video surveillance.
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