Delhi air pollution: ‘Impossible to reduce AQI in 9–10 months,’ says minister MS Sirsa

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Tuesday said it was unrealistic to expect a newly elected government to bring down air pollution levels within months, while apologising to residents for the city’s poor air quality.

Addressing concerns over the capital’s worsening AQI, Sirsa said his government was making daily progress in reducing pollution and blamed the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dispensation for the crisis.

“It is impossible for any elected government to reduce AQI in 9-10 months. I apologise for the pollution in Delhi. We are doing better work than the dishonest AAP government, and we have reduced AQI each day. This disease of pollution is given to us by the Aam Aadmi Party, and we are working to fix it.”

Moreover, he said that only BS-6 vehicles from outside Delhi would be allowed to enter the national capital from Thursday (December 18) onwards. The Delhi minister also said that vehicles without a valid Pollution Under Control (PUC) will not be allowed to refuel at petrol pumps in the national capital from December 18. 

Sirsa added that the owners have been given one day to comply with the rule. "After tomorrow, vehicles that do not have a valid PUC certificate will not be provided fuel,” he said.

The senior Delhi minister further warned that the government would impose heavy penalties on trucks carrying construction material if they were found violating pollution control norms. He said that these vehicles could also be seized as part of the encroachment drive.  

Delhi has been battling hazardous air quality levels, especially during the winter months, with pollution remaining a key political flashpoint between the BJP and the AAP. The current government has repeatedly accused the previous administration of policy failures, while promising long-term structural measures to address the issue.

On Tuesday morning, the national capital's AQI stood at 377, an improvement from 498 on Monday. Morning temperatures dipped to 8.3 degrees Celsius, and low visibility caused by smog, leading to more than 50 IndiGo flights getting cancelled.