Delhi has expanded its air quality monitoring network to 60 stations after inaugurating 13 new Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS), while 150 electric buses were flagged off to strengthen public transport and address air pollution. Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reviewed mitigation measures at the Anand Vihar hotspot on Tuesday.

The two leaders also visited the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s (DPCC) artificial intelligence-enabled Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC) at Shastri Park. They virtually inaugurated public electric vehicle charging stations at ISBT Anand Vihar, Nand Nagri depot, Rohini Sector-37 depot, Nangloi depot and Keshopur depot before flagging off the buses from Swami Vivekanand ISBT, Anand Vihar.

The 13 new stations have been installed across the capital to provide continuous information on air quality and meteorological conditions. The data will support scientific assessment, regulatory enforcement and public dissemination of the Air Quality Index. Delhi’s network has consequently risen from 47 to 60 stations operated by agencies including DPCC, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the India Meteorological Department, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

Real-time readings are available through the CPCB server and the SAMEER mobile application. At Anand Vihar, officials identified traffic congestion, road dust, unpaved surfaces, construction and demolition activity, and open burning and waste dumping as factors contributing to pollution. Mitigation measures assigned to 11 agencies include paving internal roads, removing encroachments and illegally dumped construction waste, enforcing dust controls at construction sites and undertaking greening work.

The ICCC platform is designed to integrate information on air quality, dust-control sites, ambient noise, industrial emissions, stubble burning, public grievances and enforcement vehicles. The government said it is intended to support real-time monitoring, data-led decisions and coordinated enforcement. Of 15 external data systems planned for integration, nine have been connected and the remaining six are being integrated in phases. Yadav credited coordinated action by Delhi government departments with containing pollution at the Anand Vihar hotspot and welcomed the expansion of electric mobility and monitoring infrastructure.