Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government is working on a 21-point Winter Action Plan to curb pollution in the national capital.

An anti-dust campaign was launched on 7 October. The minister disclosed that as part of the plan, a total of 523 teams from 13 different departments have been deployed to inspect construction sites across the city and monitor the situation on the ground. “I personally conducted a surprise inspection at two sites, a new block of Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, and a multi-story building by Godrej. At both places, we saw that the construction companies were not following the 14-point rules properly to reduce dust pollution,” said Rai.

After talking to several people, the minister said, it became clear that the companies lack the “seriousness” they should have regarding controlling dust pollution. He said, “Representatives from the construction companies involved in 120 private and government projects were called to the Delhi Secretariat today and were given proper training. We provided them with kits containing the 14-point guidelines and a pamphlet explaining the actions to be taken and to help control construction pollution, which was further explained in detail by our experts.”

The minister said additionally, the representatives were given the task that, just as they were trained, they would also train people at the 120 construction sites so that the ground workers and in-charges could also implement this information.

“As we had announced in the Winter Action Plan, agencies doing good work will be honoured while violators will be penalised. I found violations at two sites, and both agencies were fined Rs five lakh each. We have also launched a website where construction agencies must upload videos and follow the rules. Today, 10 of those agencies that excelled were honored with the Harit Ratna Award,” he said.

The Delhi minister said the AAP government was adopting a two-pronged strategy to contain dust pollution in Delhi, strict action for violators and recognition for those who comply with the rulers.

“We previously wrote to the Union Environment Minister seeking emergency measures, such as artificial rain, from November 1st to 20th, when pollution levels peak after Diwali. Despite our request for a swift meeting, one has yet to be scheduled. Tomorrow, I will again urge the Union Environment Minister to convene an urgent meeting for the same. So that we can implement emergency measures alongside efforts to control dust, vehicle, and biomass burning pollution,” added Rai.