The installation of the much-needed smog tower in the national Capital’s Anand Vihar area will be delayed as its construction is yet to be completed, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) said on Tuesday.

 “We have sought three more months to complete the work and the smog tower will be ready by August 31,” a CPCB official said.

Anand Vihar has been tagged as a Red Zone in terms of pollution. Every winter, the pollution monitoring agencies rated it the most polluted area in the city due to the high concentration of Particulate Matters (PMs) 10 in the area.

Though the agencies had sought special permission to continue the construction work during the lockdown, the restriction on the movement of manpower and material led to some delay, a senior CPCB official said.

The Supreme Court had earlier allowed time till June 4 to complete the construction of the 25-metre-high structure. Another smog tower is coming up at the Baba Kharak Singh Marg, Connaught Place.

Last week, Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai had said the second wave of Covid-19 has delayed the construction of the smog tower at Connaught Place and it will now be ready by August 15.

Tata Projects Limited (TPL) is building the two smog towers with technical support from IIT-Bombay, which, in collaboration with IIT-Delhi, will validate their performance. NBCC India Ltd. has been appointed as project management consultant.

The CPCB is the nodal agency for the tower at Anand Vihar, while the Delhi Pollution Control Committee is the nodal agency for the one coming up at Connaught Place.