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In a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forest and Climate Change also recommended that all manual stations in Delhi-NCR be upgraded to continuous ambient air quality monitoring systems.
It found that the current distribution of air quality monitoring stations in Delhi is “heavily skewed” towards the central and southern parts of the city, which are relatively less populated, greener and more affluent.
The committee said this geographic bias leads to a “distorted and non-representative dataset”, which systematically excludes more polluted, densely populated and less affluent areas.
The panel also said that most of the six new continuous monitoring stations proposed for Delhi were again planned in relatively green areas such as the JNU campus, while the trans-Yamuna area “has again been left out”.
It “strongly” recommended that the Environment Ministry reconsider the sites for these six stations and redistribute the monitoring stations equally across Delhi and the wider NCR.
Expressing concern over the high GST on air purifiers and HEPA filters, the Committee said it is contradictory that efforts to control air pollution have gone down, with prohibitive taxes being imposed on a device used by citizens for personal protection.
The Committee believes that the citizens of the country should not be punished for trying to save themselves from a horrific situation. The committee has recommended that the government either abolish or reduce GST.
The panel said delivery riders, traffic police personnel, bike taxi riders and similar groups are “more vulnerable to the dangers of air pollution” and called for targeted programs to protect them.
These could include directing e-commerce and logistics companies to provide high-quality protective masks such as N95s free of charge, mandatory company-funded annual health checks with additional screening after serious pollution episodes, and the creation of a dedicated health risk profiling and monitoring system.
It also recommended enforceable SOPs for high pollution days, including limits on sustained outdoor exposure and public health campaigns targeted at protective measures, as well as ensuring access to indoor comfort areas.
It suggested that major public hospitals consider dedicated OPD counters for respiratory diseases to ensure “timely and hassle-free medical care” for these workers.
The committee said the situation becomes critical for children and the elderly during peak winter pollution and they “cannot wait for government policies to yield results”.
It recommended installing air purifiers in all public schools in Delhi-NCR, especially in primary wards during severe pollution and all public hospitals including ICU, pulmonology, maternity, neonatal and geriatric wards.
It also suggested making air purifiers mandatory in all government offices and encouraging private offices through tax exemptions to install purification systems.
The panel expressed concern that some thermal power plants around the NCR are not complying with sulfur dioxide norms and lack flue gas desulphurization units despite their significant role in Delhi’s pollution.
It said repeated extensions “cannot be granted” and recommended that the power ministry and the environment ministry ensure establishment of FGDs as per the notification dated July 11, 2025.
It further recommended that CAQM, Ministry of Environment and Ministry of Power conduct monthly review of FGD installation and operation in each non-compliant unit.
There are 11 coal-based thermal power plants within a 300 km radius of Delhi-NCR, comprising 35 units with a total capacity of 13,560 MW. Of these, four plants with 14 units and combined installed capacity of 5,350 MW are located within 10 km of the NCR border and will have to comply with SO2 norms by December 31, 2027.
The Committee also highlighted that many workers in the organized sector live in government or company-owned housing clusters, creating an opportunity for a common mobility solution.
It strongly recommended a dedicated fleet of fully air-conditioned electric buses to transport employees from these residential complexes to their offices.
It added that a suitable monthly fee could be charged to recover the costs and the move would ensure reliable attendance while significantly reducing private vehicle usage and associated pollution.