New Delhi: Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav Saturday directed Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to seal 191 identified polluting industries that have failed to place orders for installing air pollution control devices despite repeated directions. He also asked MCD to complete installation of multi-lane free flow systems at 154 Delhi border entry points by Dec 31.Chairing a review meeting with Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to assess measures taken to tackle air pollution, Yadav warned that the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) would initiate criminal prosecution against transport department officials if automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras were not installed by Nov 30. The meeting was also virtually attended by Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.Reviewing progress on road dust management, Yadav noted that only 3,221 km of the targeted 5,480 km of roads had been redeveloped. He directed road-owning agencies to prioritise pothole repairs, damaged footpaths, central verges and end-to-end paving. Mechanical road sweeping machines were asked to operate at full capacity in double shifts, with digital tracking and AI-based monitoring through Integrated Command and Control Centres.For traffic decongestion, the minister directed immediate action at 233 identified congestion points across NCR and asked states to conduct fresh assessments. On vehicular pollution, Yadav called for expediting the Parivartan scheme to replace pre-BS-VI trucks and buses with BS-VI, CNG and electric vehicles by 2028.On industrial emissions, the minister noted that 2,298 of the 2,345 targeted industries (98%) had been connected to the online continuous emission monitoring system, while the remaining 47 units had been closed or sealed. He called for strict enforcement of the 50 mg/Nm³ particulate matter emission norm, with non-compliant industries facing closure, electricity disconnection and sealing wherever required.The minister also stressed the need to bridge the gap of 6,747 tonnes per day in municipal solid waste processing capacity across NCR. He directed states to prevent open dumping and burning and expedite the remediation of legacy waste at Okhla, Ghazipur, Bhalswa and Bandhwari.The minister directed all agencies to ensure strict implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan and called on NCR states to adopt Delhi’s hotspot-focused winter action plan, which includes traffic management, work-from-home measures, construction restrictions and prevention of open burning.
