In view of the rising pollution levels in the national Capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday directed the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to conduct a comprehensive survey across all slum areas to identify families still using traditional stoves or coal-fired heaters (angithis).
According to the Chief Minister, the government will extend the benefits of the Ujjwala Yojana to such families to help them transition to cleaner cooking fuel ensuring both household convenience and effective pollution control.
The chief minister emphasised that her government is working on a war footing to curb pollution. Teams of officials are already on the ground, taking strict action against pollution sources and implementing targeted measures to clean identified hotspots. Based on the findings of the DUSIB survey, the government will prepare a list of families still dependent on traditional fuels and prioritise them for Ujjwala gas connections.
She noted that pollution control cannot be limited to industrial or vehicular sectors alone, it also requires strong intervention at the domestic level. Smoke emitted from stoves and coal burners in slum areas not only pollutes the air but also poses serious health hazards to residents.
The government’s goal, therefore, is to ensure that every household has access to clean fuel and that no one is forced to rely on traditional, polluting methods of cooking.
Reaffirming that making Delhi pollution-free remains a top priority, the Chief Minister informed that maintenance vans have been deployed to clean roads and pavements, addressing dust and particulate pollution. Senior officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), Irrigation and Flood Control Department, DUSIB, DSIIDC, and other key agencies along with representatives from MCD and NDMC, are on the ground to ensure thorough cleaning of their respective zones.
She further directed all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and civic agencies to deploy every available sanitation resource for comprehensive cleanliness across the city. Concrete measures are being implemented to “cool and clear” pollution hotspots through continuous water sprinkling, mechanical dust suppression, and surface repair of roads and pavements to prevent dust dispersion.
