After many hiccups in its operation and remaining dormant every now and then, the smog tower located at the heart of Delhi in all likelihood will restart soon as Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai has confirmed that he gave fresh instructions to the concerned department for its unhindered operation.

The smog tower at Connaught Place in the national capital is the only solace to provide much-needed relief from pollution to the area in the wake of ‘very poor’ air quality.

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Gopal Rai said here on Tuesday that directions have been issued to the concerned department to operationalise the tower as soon as possible in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court issued in November last year.

Installed in the year 2021, the smog tower has been facing many hurdles to its operation, chief among them being a fund crunch which resulted in pending salary dues to the employees engaged in its operation and maintenance.

In November last year, the smog tower was revived on directions of the apex court. However, its operation was stalled soon after due to the nonpayment of salaries due to the staff.

The Delhi environment minister had to direct the DPCC to ensure the release of salary dues for the employees so that the tower could function unhindered as the city is reeling under very poor air quality.

On Monday, Rai wrote to the concerned authorities directing them to release funds to clear the dues of the staff so that they could resume their duty and operationalise the smog tower.