Delhi Government Intensifies Fight Against Pollution with Clean Fuel Push
In a significant move to combat the national capital's deteriorating air quality, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has issued a major directive. On Saturday, November 9, 2025, she ordered the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to launch a comprehensive survey across all slum clusters in the city.
Identifying Households Dependent on Polluting Fuels
The primary objective of this extensive survey is to pinpoint families that continue to rely on traditional, smoke-emitting cooking methods. The focus is on identifying the use of traditional stoves and coal-fired heaters (angithis). Once these households are identified, the Delhi government plans to proactively bring them into the fold of the central government's flagship scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY).
A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) clarified the next steps: "Based on the findings of the DUSIB survey, the government will prepare a list of families still dependent on traditional fuels and prioritise them for Ujjwala gas connections." This targeted approach aims to ensure that the benefits of clean cooking fuel reach those who need them most.
Health and Environmental Hazards of Traditional Fuels
Chief Minister Gupta emphasized that the battle against pollution must be fought on multiple fronts. She stated that pollution control cannot be restricted to just industrial or vehicular sources and requires strong intervention at the domestic level. The smoke released from stoves and coal burners in densely populated slum areas is a significant contributor to air pollution and poses severe health risks to residents, including respiratory illnesses.
"The government’s goal, therefore, is to ensure that every household has access to clean fuel and that no one is forced to rely on traditional, polluting methods of cooking," Gupta affirmed. This initiative is a critical part of her administration's 'war-footing' approach to curb pollution.
A Multi-Pronged Strategy for a Cleaner Delhi
Beyond the clean fuel drive, the Delhi government is implementing a series of other concrete measures to tackle the pollution crisis. The CM reaffirmed that making Delhi pollution-free remains a top priority. The current actions include:
- Deployment of maintenance vans for cleaning roads and pavements to address dust pollution.
- Continuous water sprinkling and mechanical dust suppression at identified pollution hotspots.
- Repair of roads and pavements to prevent dust dispersion.
- On-ground coordination between senior officials from PWD, Irrigation and Flood Control, DUSIB, DSIIDC, MCD, and NDMC to ensure thorough cleaning of their zones.
CM Gupta has directed all Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) and civic agencies to deploy every available sanitation resource for a comprehensive cleanliness drive across the entire city. "In coordination with all civic agencies, the Delhi government is working at a war-footing across the city to bring pollution under control and ensure a cleaner, healthier Capital for all," she underlined.
