Dr. P. K. Mishra, principal secretary to the prime minister, chaired a high-level task force meeting on Monday at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) to assess the readiness of stakeholders in addressing the issue of deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, particularly as the winter season approaches.

The meeting focused on evaluating ongoing efforts to tackle pollution from various sources, including paddy stubble burning, vehicular emissions, road and construction dust, solid waste management, and diesel generator (DG) sets. Dr. Mishra emphasized the critical importance of strict and timely implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) by all relevant agencies to mitigate worsening air quality during the winter months.

Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) chairman Rajesh Verma presented details on the upcoming paddy straw generation, estimating 19.52 million tonnes in Punjab and 8.10 million tonnes in Haryana. Both states have committed to eliminating stubble burning this year. Punjab plans to manage 11.5 million tonnes of its paddy straw through in-situ crop residue management and the rest via ex-situ methods. Haryana will similarly manage 3.3 million tonnes in-situ and use ex-situ methods for the remainder. Over 1.50 lakh crop residue management (CRM) machines will be available in Punjab, supported by 24,736 Custom Hiring Centres (CHCs), while Haryana has 90,945 CRM machines supported by 6,794 CHCs.

In addition, 2 million tonnes of paddy straw will be co-fired in 11 thermal power plants across the NCR region. The meeting stressed the need for regular monitoring of thermal plants to ensure co-firing targets are met, with penalties for non-compliance.

Regarding industrial pollution, CAQM informed that 220 out of 240 industrial areas in the NCR region are now equipped with gas infrastructure, with the remaining areas set to be connected soon. Dust pollution from construction and demolition (C&D) activities is being remotely monitored through a web portal, with mandatory registration for projects over 500 square meters.

Dr. Mishra instructed the chief secretaries of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to rigorously monitor and implement action plans aimed at eliminating stubble burning as committed in their action plans. He stressed the need for full utilization of CRM machines, strengthening the supply chain for ex-situ management, and supporting small industries in briquetting and pelletizing operations to enhance the economic use of paddy straw. Strict enforcement actions against violators, with appropriate penalties and record entries, were also highlighted.

Dr. Mishra also requested the chief secretaries of the NCR region states to augment their e-Bus services in the region. The PM eBus Sewa Scheme aims to increase the e-Buses in our country by 10,000 e-Buses. States/UTs should judiciously aim to use the scheme to increase their fleet of eBuses.

In terms of firecracker pollution, state governments and law enforcement agencies were asked to strictly enforce bans and restrictions, while the ministry of petroleum and natural gas was urged to expedite the collection of biomasses and accelerate the construction of compressed biogas (CBG) plants.

The meeting was attended by cabinet secretary Dr. T. V Somanathan, the Delhi Police commissioner and key officials from the ministries of environment, agriculture, power, petroleum, road transport, housing and urban affairs, and animal husbandry, along with representatives from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state pollution control boards (SPCBs), and the chief secretaries and their representatives from the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and UT of Delhi.