Pollution needs year-round action, says CM as Delhi gets six new air monitoring stations
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Monday said pollution control requires sustained, year-round action, inaugurating six new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) stations to expand real-time tracking of air quality across the capital.
She also flagged off 100 'Vayu Rakshak' vehicles for stricter monitoring, and enforcement of pollution control norms.
Addressing an event at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta said the government is working towards comprehensive citywide monitoring and long-term policy action to address pollution at its source.
"Our aim is to ensure that for every 25 sq km area in Delhi, there is at least one air quality monitoring station so that we get complete and accurate data on pollution levels and their sources," she said.
The six new monitoring stations set up by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) are located at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Indira Gandhi National Open University, Netaji Subhas University of Technology West Campus (Dwarka), CWD Akshardham, Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya in Delhi Cantt and the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Swimming Pool Complex at Talkatora Garden.
Gupta said Delhi currently has 46 air quality monitoring stations, and 14 additional stations will be installed in the coming phase to ensure full coverage of residential areas, industrial zones, traffic corridors and green belts.
"Pollution is not a seasonal problem. It requires 365-day caretaking, continuous monitoring and sustained action," she said, adding that air safety officers will be deployed for year-round supervision and enforcement.
The chief minister asserted that the government is working on strengthening pollution control across sectors, including transport, roads, waste management and green cover. "Clean air is a right, and we are committed to delivering it with seriousness and long-term planning," she said.
Highlighting the works undertaken, she said city has the highest number of electric buses in the country, with 4,200 vehicles currently operational. "By 2028, this number will increase to 14,000, which will significantly reduce vehicular emissions," she said.
Gupta stressed that the pollution checking infrastructure is being upgraded, with automated vehicle testing stations being developed and a new electric vehicle policy for private vehicles under preparation.
She described notification of large parts of the Delhi Ridge as forest land as a historic step. She said protecting green spaces is essential for improving Delhi's environmental health and ensuring long-term sustainability.
Criticising previous approaches, Gupta said earlier governments treated pollution as a short-term issue. Referring to measures such as smoke towers and odd-even schemes, she said these were "cosmetic solutions" that failed to address pollution at its root.
Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who also addressed the event, outlined further steps being taken by the government to strengthen pollution control and enforcement.
"To ensure strict monitoring, 100 'Vayu Rakshak' vehicles will be deployed across Delhi to check industrial, vehicular, hotel and institutional pollution," Sirsa said, adding that 100 permanent surveyors will also be appointed for year-round physical inspections.
He said the government has strengthened coordination among the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), CAQM and the Centre, leading to systematic monitoring and data-based policy planning.
Sirsa asserted that Delhi has also made progress in waste management, with around 85 per cent of the city's daily waste generation, around 12,500 metric tonnes, now being processed for energy production.
Referring to legacy waste, he said the present government inherited three garbage dumps spread over 202 acres and about 60 metres high.
"In just one year, garbage has been cleared from around 45 acres, and the height of the remaining dumps is being reduced," he said.
He also alleged that previous governments failed to address the core causes of pollution and instead resorted to blame-shifting.
"Everyone knows the reasons are road dust, vehicle emissions and garbage mountains but no serious work was done," Sirsa said.
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Rupee plummets past 94/USD level; settles 33 paise lower
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee extended its losing streak for the fourth consecutive session, settling 33 paise lower at 94.11 (provisional) on Thursday and breached the 94-level for the second time in a month amid soaring crude oil prices as West Asia peace talks moved to an uncertain trajectory.
Massive selling of domestic equities and incessant withdrawal of foreign funds amid rising worldwide demand for the American currency further weighed on the domestic unit, which has lost over 1 per cent in a week, forex traders said.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 94.03 and hit an intra-day low of 94.17 against the greenback. It also touched the day's high of 93.98 before ending at 94.11 (provisional) against the US dollar, logging a loss of 33 paise from the previous closing level.
The rupee declined 34 paise to settle at 93.78 against the US dollar on Wednesday, the third straight day of fall.
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In the past four sessions, the domestic unit has lost 120 paise, or nearly 1.3 per cent, since the closing level of 92.91 recorded on April 17.
Facing geopolitical headwinds triggered by the war in West Asia that began on February 28, the domestic currency breached the crucial 94-a-dollar level for the first time on March 23 and reached its lowest-ever intra-day level of 95.22 on March 30.
However, the rupee had recovered since then, following a slew of measures from the Reserve Bank of India.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was 0.12 per cent higher at 98.53.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 1.88 per cent higher at USD 103.83 per barrel in futures trade.
According to Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan, the rupee fell for the fourth consecutive day and breached the 94-mark, taking cues from weak domestic markets and a strong dollar.
"Surge in crude oil prices, too, weighed on the rupee. Global market sentiments deteriorated amid uncertainty over US-Iran talks," Choudhary said and projected the USD-INR spot price "in a range of Rs 93.80 to Rs 94.50".
In the domestic equity markets, the 30-share Sensex crashed 852.49 points, or 1.09 per cent, to settle at 77,664.00, while the Nifty tanked 205.05 points, or 0.84 per cent, to 24,173.05.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth about Rs 2,078.36 crore on Wednesday, according to the exchange data.
V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Ltd, said, "The fundamental factor behind the rupee's weakness is the rising current account deficit caused by high crude prices and the sustained FPI outflows from India. So long as these factors remain the same, the rupee will remain weak, and if crude price rises again due to escalation of the conflict, the rupee will depreciate further."
Prospects of global trade through the Strait of Hormuz remained uncertain following Iran's attack on three ships on Wednesday after the US began imposing a sea blockade of Iranian ports last week. President Donald Trump has extended a ceasefire even as negotiations for a truce in West Asia remained stalled.
