New Delhi, Oct. 1 -- Delhi on Thursday got a new pollution-monitoring "war room" with the launch of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee's (DPCC) Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), which will use AI, CCTV, GPS tracking and real-time data to monitor pollution sources and coordinate field action across the city.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated the centre at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's IT Park in Shastri Park under the Seva Sankalp Campaign. The centre will monitor pollution hotspots, construction sites and field activities while integrating complaints and inspection data to facilitate quicker action by concerned departments.
Gupta said the government's approach would be based on the principle of "Detect, Analyse, Act, Verify", under which pollution-related problems will be identified, analysed, acted upon and subsequently verified. "The focus is not merely on monitoring pollution, but on connecting technology, data and field enforcement so that information is converted into prompt action and measurable outcomes," she said.
The ICCC will provide 24x7 monitoring of more than 700 construction sites covering over 500 square metres through AI and CCTV cameras. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the system would alert the concerned department and site owner if PM10 levels rise at monitored sites.
Sirsa said the centre had been completed in less than six months and would function as a war room during the winter pollution season. It will also monitor AQI stations, analyse previous years' data and track local pollution sources.
The centre will track GPS-enabled mechanical road sweeping machines, including their locations, routes, operating hours and distance covered. New cameras will also be used to monitor open waste and biomass burning.
Field enforcement will be linked directly to the command centre. Seventy-eight sub-division-level teams will undertake monitoring and enforcement during winter, with their movements tracked through GPS-enabled vehicles. 'Vayudoot' teams involved in identifying pollution-causing activities will use body cameras connected to the ICCC.
Body cameras have also been made mandatory for DPCC officials conducting inspections of industries and other polluting sites, with the government saying this would improve transparency and accountability.
The Chief Minister also launched the 'Jan Suggestion' portal, through which citizens can submit pollution-related complaints, suggestions and information about initiatives aimed at reducing pollution.
Sirsa said 72 lakh trees had already been planted against the government's target of 70 lakh. He said officials would be deployed at the ICCC round the clock in shifts during winter.
MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely and other officials were also present at the inauguration.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.