Delhi has launched an Integrated Command and Control Centre to monitor pollution hotspots, construction sites and field enforcement across the city, with artificial intelligence, CCTV cameras, GPS tracking and real-time data being used to coordinate action. The centre will operate around the clock during the winter pollution season.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated the Delhi Pollution Control Committee’s facility at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s IT Park in Shastri Park on Thursday under the Seva Sankalp Campaign. The centre will integrate complaints, inspection records, air-quality data and field activity to help departments respond to pollution-related violations.
The system will provide 24×7 monitoring of more than 700 construction sites covering over 500 square metres. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the system would alert the concerned department and the site owner when PM10 levels rise at monitored locations. The centre is also expected to monitor air-quality stations, examine previous years’ data and track local pollution sources.
Gupta said the administration’s approach would follow the principle of “Detect, Analyse, Act, Verify”. “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 command centre will also track GPS-enabled mechanical road-sweeping machines, including their locations, routes, operating hours and distance covered. New cameras will be used to monitor open waste and biomass burning, while field enforcement teams will be linked directly to the centre.
Seventy-eight sub-division-level teams will undertake monitoring and enforcement during winter, with their movements tracked through GPS-enabled vehicles. ‘Vayudoot’ teams identifying pollution-causing activities will use body cameras connected to the centre. The government has also made body cameras mandatory for Delhi Pollution Control Committee officials inspecting industries and other polluting sites, saying the measure would improve transparency and accountability.
The centre’s launch places construction dust, road sweeping, waste burning and inspection practices within a single monitoring framework. However, the supplied report does not specify the enforcement penalties, response-time targets or public reporting mechanism that will be used to assess whether alerts lead to measurable reductions in pollution.
The government also launched the ‘Jan Suggestion’ portal, allowing residents to submit pollution-related complaints, suggestions and information about initiatives aimed at reducing pollution. Sirsa said 72 lakh trees had been planted against a government target of 70 lakh. Officials will be deployed at the command centre in round-the-clock shifts during winter.