India, Dec. 3 -- Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday directed all government departments to act on a war footing to combat pollution and announced the formation of a special powers committee to intensify and monitor the capital's pollution-control efforts.

Chairing an inter-departmental review meeting at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta said the government was treating pollution as an "emergency mission" and warned that no lapse by agencies responsible for maintaining air quality and cleanliness would be tolerated. Delhi's AQI stood at 342-"very poor"-according to the Central Pollution Control Board.

The chief minister said a high-level expert committee, comprising senior officials from key departments, IIT experts and environment...