Amid persistently high pollution levels in the capital, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has issued directions mandating a strict ban on the use of coal and firewood in tandoors across all hotels, restaurants and open eateries in the city.
Both actions target two major neighbourhood-level polluters: smoky commercial kitchens and dust from open construction stockpiles.
The order, issued under Section 31(A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, requires all commercial establishments to switch exclusively to electric, gas-based or other clean-fuel appliances. The DPCC noted that Delhi continues to record Air Quality Index (AQI) levels above prescribed standards, and coal-based cooking remains a significant contributor to localised pollution.
The directions follow earlier mandates under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), which list the ban on coal and firewood use in tandoors as a stage-I action to curb emissions. Citing the June 2022 approved fuel list issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and its modified GRAP order dated November 21, 2023, the DPCC reminded authorities that enforcement agencies must ensure full compliance during the ongoing pollution control measures.
Urban local bodies -- including commissioners and chief engineers of municipal agencies -- have been instructed to conduct checks and ensure that all eateries under their jurisdiction immediately discontinue use of coal and firewood. The directive states that establishments may only run electric or gas-operated tandoors, and compliance must be enforced without exception.
The order, issued with the approval of the competent authority, has been sent via speed post and email to all relevant departments for immediate action.
In another order, invoking powers under Section 31(A) of the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the DPCC noted that despite repeated directions from the Supreme Court, National Green Tribunal and the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), roadside stocking of construction materials continues unchecked in several parts of the city.
The latest directive is aligned with the CAQM’s order on the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) issued on November 21, 2025.
The committee observed that unregulated storage, sale and transportation of materials such as sand, bajri, bricks, cement, tiles and stones along roads and public spaces had emerged as a persistent source of fugitive dust and a major contributor to PM10 and PM2.5 pollution in the capital.
Officials have been instructed to clear all roadside and footpath vendors storing or selling building materials in an unauthorised manner and to ensure that no such materials are kept or transported in the open.
The order also states that any material lying exposed on public land, or even on private land without proper covering, should be confiscated, and penalties must be imposed under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s rules and by-laws.
The DPCC emphasised that the step is crucial to tackling neighbourhood-level dust emissions, which remain one of the largest contributors to Delhi’s deteriorating air quality.
