The Commission for Air Quality Management has reviewed enforcement measures and preparedness across key pollution-control sectors in Delhi-NCR ahead of the winter season.
The review was carried out by the Sub-Committee on Safeguarding and Enforcement of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas during its 25th meeting held on 12 June.
In a statement on Saturday, 13 June, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said the meeting reviewed actions taken by NCR state governments, the Government of NCT of Delhi and the Government of Punjab across sectors contributing to air pollution in the region.
The review covered vehicular emissions, road dust, construction and demolition waste, stubble burning, municipal solid waste, biomass management, industrial emissions and monitoring systems.
In the vehicular sector, CAQM reviewed the installation and operationalisation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras at all fuel and CNG stations in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan for enforcing restrictions on fuelling vehicles without valid Pollution Under Control Certificates in NCR from 1 October 2026.
It also reviewed implementation of directions for faster adoption of cleaner mobility by motor vehicle aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities from 1 January 2026, including web portals, surprise checks and compliance monitoring.
The commission also assessed enforcement action against end-of-life vehicles, traffic congestion hotspots across Delhi and NCR towns, and the planned phasing out of diesel auto-rickshaws from NCR districts by 31 December 2026.
On road dust and construction and demolition waste, CAQM reviewed collection, transportation, processing and scientific management of C&D waste, along with the need to expand processing capacity and improve the use of recycled products by urban local bodies and other agencies.
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The commission also reviewed the management of about 5,500-6,000 MT of C&D waste generated daily in Delhi and measures to deploy additional mechanical road sweeping machines by 30 September 2026, before the winter GRAP season.
On stubble burning, CAQM reviewed the preparedness of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the 2026 paddy season, with the stated objective of eliminating such incidents.
The commission examined progress on crop diversification, direct seeded rice, biomass use, industrial utilisation of crop residue and farmer awareness programmes.
It also reviewed the use of paddy straw-based biomass pellets and briquettes in brick kilns in Punjab and non-NCR districts of Haryana. The roadmap targets at least 30% co-firing from 1 November 2026, rising to 40% from 1 November 2027 and 50% from 1 November 2028.
During the meeting, CAQM observed that many brick kilns in the region were still using unapproved fuels and directed enforcement agencies to intensify inspections to ensure compliance with its statutory directions.
The commission also reviewed the liquidation of legacy municipal solid waste, capacity augmentation for daily waste processing, prevention of open burning of municipal solid waste and biomass, landfill fire prevention and stronger monitoring mechanisms.
In the industrial sector, the meeting reviewed implementation of stricter emission standards across Delhi-NCR. Industrial units failing to meet the prescribed PM emission limit of 50 mg/Nm³ from 1 August 2026 for large and medium industries and from 1 October 2026 for remaining industries will face strict action, including closure.
The review also covered additional continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations in NCR districts, surprise inspections of C&D sites, industries and diesel generator sets, resolution of complaints received on social media, integration of state portals with CAQM’s Integrated Command and Control Centre, and targeted public awareness plans.
The ministry said implementing agencies reaffirmed their commitment to strict, targeted and time-bound action for effective implementation of CAQM directions and sector-specific measures to reduce air pollution in the region.
