Delhi to overhaul PUC system, roll out carpool app to curb air pollution

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government would provide ₹2,700 crore over a ten-year period to the MCD for procuring mechanical road sweepers and litter pickers

The Delhi government on Wednesday said it would overhaul the Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC) system by introducing third-party monitoring, developing a dedicated carpooling application to reduce vehicular congestion, and providing ₹2,700 crore over the next ten years to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for procuring mechanical road sweepers and litter pickers.

 

Announcing the measures at a press conference, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the existing PUC issuing mechanism suffered from several shortcomings and required urgent reform.

 

“We are considering a complete overhaul of the PUC system. The current centres are old and have many gaps. A third-party monitoring system will be brought in,” he said.

 

Carpooling app to reduce private vehicles on road

 

Sirsa said the government would also introduce a carpooling app to encourage residents to share rides and reduce the number of private vehicles on Delhi’s roads.

 

“There is no proper system for carpooling in Delhi right now. We are working on an app that is easy to download and use, with options for people to offer or take carpool rides,” he said.

 

Overhaul of PUC system

 

As part of enforcement and monitoring, the minister said a third-party agency would be hired to track potholes across the city.

 

“The agency would conduct year-long surveys, travel across Delhi, photograph potholes and submit real-time data to authorities. A tender for this exercise has already been issued by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee,” he said.

 

Delhi govt to give ₹2,700 crore to MCD over next 10 years

 

The minister said vehicular emissions, industrial pollution, dust and solid waste were the four major sources of air pollution in the capital.

 

“To address dust and waste-related pollution, the Public Works Department has been directed to deploy 70 mechanical road sweepers and water sprinklers. In addition, around 1,000 litter pickers and 300 water sprinklers are being deployed across the city,” said Sirsa.

 

He said the government would provide ₹2,700 crore over a ten-year period to the MCD for procuring mechanical road sweepers and litter pickers. “This long-term support will strengthen daily road cleaning and dust control efforts,” he said.

 

Other measures in process

 

Sirsa said the government was also working with the traffic police to develop an integrated traffic management system.

 

“At present, even when there is a long traffic jam, signals continue to remain red for a fixed duration. We are developing a system where signal timings can adjust dynamically to ease congestion,” he said.

 

To identify pollution-prone areas, the government plans to collaborate with Map India and Google Maps.

 

“We are tying up with Google Maps to identify major traffic and vehicular pollution hotspots using available data. Earlier, 13 pollution hotspots were identified. That number has now risen to 62, and we are aiming to map at least 100 such locations,” Sirsa said.

 

He added that Delhi was coordinating closely with neighbouring states to adopt a regional approach to pollution control. “We are in touch with neighbouring states and ensuring that air quality levels there also improve, as Delhi’s pollution cannot be addressed in isolation,” he said. The government has also distributed 10,000 electric heaters to reduce biomass burning during winter.

 

The minister said the Delhi government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with IIT Madras to study and develop titanium oxide-based ‘smog-eating’ photocatalytic surfaces.

 

“The technology will be tested and implemented in selected areas before wider adoption,” he said, adding, “These coatings, which have been used in some cities abroad, can help reduce nitrogen dioxide and harmful hydrocarbons in public spaces.”

 

To promote cleaner transport, Sirsa said the government was expanding its electric bus fleet. “Delhi currently has 3,400 electric buses. One hundred more electric buses will be flagged off on Thursday by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta,” he said.