New Delhi, July 18 -- The Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD's) plans to ramp up mechanised sweeping of arterial roads and introduce mechanised process for internal roads by procuring 250 small machines to curb dust pollution by October, officials familiar with the process said, even as residents stressed the need for fixing roads before starting mechanised sweeping, claiming it would only serve to increase pollution. A senior MCD official, who did not wish to be named, said that it has submitted in an action plan to the central government its intention to procure 70 additional larger mechanical sweepers, taking the total to 171, to cover 1,400 kilometres of arterial roads, based on an assessment. While sanitation workers currently sweep internal roads, the assessment found a requirement of 540 smaller mechanised road sweepers to cover 13,000km of internal roads, the official said, sharing plans to acquire 250 smaller machines in the first phase. To be sure, arterial roads are those having a width of 60 feet or more and are maintained by the Public Works Department (PWD). The MCD is responsible for the upkeep of internal roads, having smaller widths. "Eighty-nine larger units are in operation and the deployment of 70 more units will largely plug the gap for the larger PWD roads. In case of smaller roads, four units are currently available. In the first phase, MCD has proposed to procure 250 of these smaller units with 2-cubic metre capacity," the official cited above said. Dust is one of the biggest sources of pollution in Delhi, and can contribute to as much as 25% of the Capital's bad air, according to a 2018 source apportionment study by The Energy and Resources Institute. Dust-related pollution shows up as elevated PM10 levels. The study also found that potholes, unpaved roads and broken footpaths, all of which cause road dust, were the largest source of such particles in the air. Residents' welfare associations say that the corporation should first focus on improving road conditions. BS Vohra, who heads the East Delhi RWA Joint Front, said: "MCD should also focus on improving the road conditions in residential areas for these machines to perform optimally. There is a need for mechanical cleaning but work needs to be done on multiple fronts." Ashok Bhasin, who heads the North Delhi Residents Welfare Federation, said that the mechanical cleaning of roads can only be carried out in VIP areas and the problems of rest of Delhi are deep-rooted....