Delhi’s winter action plan hit as new road sweeping machines delayed until November-end
Delhi's government has missed its deadline to deploy 140 mechanical road sweepers intended to mitigate winter air pollution. The delay in procurement and tendering leaves the city vulnerable to high dust levels as winter approaches.
Why it matters
The failure to implement promised infrastructure highlights the challenges of managing severe urban air pollution in rapidly growing metropolitan areas.
Despite winter approaching and air pollution expected to worsen, the Delhi government has missed a crucial July deadline to deploy a new fleet of 140 Mechanical Road Sweepers (MRS) to curb dust. None of the new MRS machines have arrived, leaving the capital without key infrastructure as its annual pollution crisis looms, multiple officials told The Hindu .
In February, the Delhi government informed the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) that 140 MRS machines would be deployed by the end of July to curb dust pollution. The fleet was to comprise 70 large machines for wider roads and 70 smaller variants for narrower lanes. The initiative is projected to cost the government approximately ₹900 crore over the next 10 years.
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