Delhi’s plan to deploy 140 new mechanical road sweepers to control dust pollution has missed its July deadline, with none of the machines arriving as winter approaches and the city’s annual air-quality crisis looms. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said at least some of the 70 large machines ordered are expected to arrive by the end of November.
The Delhi government had informed the Commission for Air Quality Management in February that the full fleet would be deployed by the end of July. The planned fleet included 70 large machines for wider roads and 70 smaller machines for narrower lanes. The project is estimated to cost approximately ₹900 crore over 10 years.
“After the tender process, work order has been issued for the 70 large MRS machines and we are trying to make sure that at least some of the new large MRS machines will also be available during this winter,” Mr. Sirsa told The Hindu.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi is executing the project, while the Delhi government is funding it. Instead of buying the equipment, the government is outsourcing the service to private firms selected through competitive bidding. The selected vendors are expected to provide both the machines and operational staff.
The plan for smaller sweepers has also been reduced from 70 to 30 machines following a government analysis. The Delhi Cabinet approved the revised plan on September 29, a change that delayed the tendering process and the subsequent deployment of the smaller machines.
The MCD had proposed hiring 30 to 40 sweepers temporarily for three to four months during this winter. The CAQM rejected the proposal because it included an option to use diesel trucks, officials said. The existing fleet will therefore remain in use while the city waits for the new machines.
Road dust is a significant component of Delhi’s particulate pollution. An IIT-Kanpur study in 2016 found that road dust accounted for about 56% of the city’s annual PM10 emissions and 38% of its annual PM2.5 emissions. The delay affects a control measure aimed at roads maintained by the civic body, which is responsible for approximately 1,400 km of city roads.
The current delay follows a series of administrative and structural changes to the road-cleaning programme. The initiative was first announced on January 28, 2023, by the previous Aam Aadmi Party government as part of a plan to transform city roads. Although work was scheduled to begin on April 1 that year, the Delhi Cabinet approved the ₹2,388-crore proposal only on April 4.
The original plan was later divided into components involving water sprinklers, anti-smog guns and mechanical sweepers. The first phase focused on 250 water sprinklers integrated with anti-smog guns, while the second involved 70 sweepers integrated with 210 water sprinklers. The project was initially routed through the Public Works Department, but the Cabinet later decided to release funds directly to the MCD after objections from the civic body.
Implementation was further held up because the MCD did not have a Standing Committee to approve the proposal. In December 2024, the civic body wrote to the Environment Department seeking permission to divert the funds towards solid-waste management and road maintenance under an integrated sanitation plan. The project was revived after the BJP government came to power in February 2025, but subsequent revisions have caused further delays. The Environment Minister said some of the large machines are expected to be available by the end of November.
