New Delhi, December 20, 2025:
Delhi Assembly Speaker and local MLA Vijender Gupta on Friday conducted an on-ground inspection of air pollution hotspots in Rohini and issued firm directions for a coordinated, time-bound dust-control drive, stating that pollution caused by road dust and unfinished civic works is a preventable governance challenge that demands accountability and sustained administrative action.
During the inspection at Madhuban Chowk in Rohini Sector-8, Gupta said that air pollution resulting from dug-up roads, loose soil and incomplete civic restoration cannot be accepted as an unavoidable reality. He stressed that effective pollution control requires structured planning, inter-agency coordination and strict monitoring rather than sporadic or reactive enforcement.
The inspection followed recent assessments that identified several locations in Rohini as dust-pollution hotspots. Officials noted that multiple roads in the area remain dug up, untarred or covered with loose soil. Continuous vehicular movement over these exposed stretches leads to repeated resuspension of dust, significantly deteriorating local air quality. At the same time, the suspension of infrastructure works, including drainage-related projects halted under pollution-control measures, has resulted in road surfaces remaining unrestored for prolonged periods.
Residents of the affected areas have reported sustained exposure to dust for several months, raising serious public health concerns. Gupta pointed out that scientific studies consistently identify road dust as one of the largest contributors to particulate pollution in Delhi. According to these assessments, road dust accounts for a substantial share of PM10 and a significant portion of PM2.5, particularly during winter months when stagnant atmospheric conditions intensify pollution levels.
He observed that the problem is further aggravated by incomplete restoration after utility works, gaps in mechanised sweeping, inadequate dust-suppression measures, fragmented coordination among civic agencies and heavy traffic movement on damaged pavements. These factors, he said, together create a recurring cycle of dust pollution that persists in the absence of continuous administrative oversight.
Taking note of these findings, the Assembly Speaker directed immediate and visible remedial action across identified dust hotspots in Rohini. He instructed civic agencies to enforce a time-bound dust-control mandate, including daily mechanised sweeping and regular sprinkling of water or approved dust suppressants. He also directed that wherever full-scale infrastructure work cannot resume due to regulatory or environmental restrictions, exposed road stretches must be temporarily paved or compacted to prevent dust generation.
Gupta emphasised that school zones and market areas should be given special priority for dust-control measures, particularly during peak traffic hours. He further ordered weekly joint inspections by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, Delhi Development Authority, Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Traffic Police. These inspections are to be supported by geo-tagged reporting and clearly defined compliance timelines to ensure transparency and accountability.
To address long-standing coordination gaps, Gupta directed the establishment of a Rohini Dust Action Cell under the MLA’s office. The proposed cell will ensure coordinated functioning among the DDA, MCD, DPCC and the Traffic Police. He noted that the absence of a unified maintenance and enforcement mechanism has led to prolonged neglect of exposed road surfaces and stressed that such fragmentation must be corrected through structured inter-agency coordination and continuous monitoring.
Focusing on long-term and sustainable solutions, Gupta stressed the need to complete wall-to-wall paving or carpeting of all remaining untarred or frequently damaged roads in Rohini. He also highlighted the importance of constructing permanent road shoulders and footpaths to prevent repeated dust resuspension caused by vehicular movement. He further called for the conversion of vacant open plots into green buffers or paved community spaces to eliminate dust bowls and suggested installing local particulate matter monitoring points near schools and high-traffic junctions to track measurable improvements in air quality.
Concluding the inspection, the Delhi Assembly Speaker said that effective air pollution control requires consistency and sustained governance rather than episodic interventions. He underlined that public health must remain central to civic administration and assured residents that the implementation of dust-control and pollution-mitigation measures in Rohini would be closely monitored.
Gupta added that periodic reviews will be conducted to ensure timely execution of directives, inter-agency accountability and tangible improvements in environmental conditions, with the objective of enhancing air quality and improving the overall quality of life for residents of Rohini.
