New Delhi [India], December 23 : Delhi's air quality continued to deteriorate on Tuesday as a thick layer of toxic smog blanketed large parts of the national capital, including areas around India Gate. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) near India Gate stood at 421, placing it in the 'severe' category. Visuals from the area showed reduced visibility and hazy conditions, with the war memorial shrouded in smog.
Several monitoring stations across the capital reported alarmingly high AQI levels. ITO recorded an AQI of 421, Punjabi Bagh (423), Mundka (433), RK Puram (434), Wazipur (413) and Okhla touched 439, all categorised as 'severe'. The data highlights a sharp decline in air quality compared to Monday morning, when Delhi's overall AQI was recorded at 366, falling in the 'very poor' category. On Sunday evening, the AQI stood at 377, indicating that pollution levels had worsened over the past 24 hours.
Earlier in the day, Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the 'No PUC, No Fuel' policy will continue in the national capital even after GRAP-IV restrictions are lifted, as part of the government's ongoing efforts to control air pollution. He said action has been taken against faulty pollution testing centres and stricter checks, along with new pollution control measures.
While addressing a press conference, Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, "In Delhi, along with GRAP 4, our PUCC (Pollution Under Control Certificate) campaign was running with the slogan 'No PUC, No Fuel'. We will continue this even after the GRAP restrictions are lifted. We have found 12 PUCC centres that were involved in irregularities, and they have been suspended and will be blacklisted."
To control industrial pollution, Sirsa said the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has issued 411 closure notices to date, and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has sealed 400 units.