Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood announced on Friday that air purifiers will be put in 10,000 classrooms across the city to provide healthier air for pupils, as part of long-term pollution-reduction efforts. During a press conference, Sood stated that the government was more concerned with administrative changes and policy interventions than with publicity-driven efforts, according to ANI. Sood stated that Delhi has approximately 38,000 classrooms, and air purifiers will be deployed in phases.
According to official data, the capital has 1,047 government and government-aided schools. He also discussed earlier governments’ initiatives, such as the Odd-Even or ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaigns.
“We want our children to study smart and breathe smart air. In the first phase, air purifiers will be installed in 10,000 classrooms. Tenders have been floated today,” he said.
“We are not those who flaunt IIT degrees and do campaigns like Odd-Even or ‘Red Light On, Gaadi Off’ campaign. We are tackling the issue of pollution through long-term administrative measures rather than treating it as a PR exercise,” he said, taking a swipe at the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
The Odd-Even system, launched by the AAP administration under then-chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, was implemented twice in 2016 and aimed to reduce vehicular pollution by restricting private automobiles based on their registration numbers. The minister, who also has the urban development ministry, stated that the Public Works Department would utilise the environment cess to purchase mechanical road sweepers for each assembly constituency. He further stated that monies are being granted to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) for comparable purchases, accusing the previous administration of neglecting the civic body.
Citing a CAG report, Sood said that in 2017-18, 30% of air quality monitoring stations were purposefully placed in green spaces to understate pollution levels. He claimed weather patterns in adjacent states have a substantial impact on Delhi’s air quality. He criticised the previous government of relying on ads and falsified data rather than taking meaningful action.
Sood stated that the use of recycled construction material will be mandatory in construction projects beginning October 11 of this year, and payments for civil works will not be granted unless compliance is met. He went on to say that the Bhalswa landfill is expected to be completely remedied by September 2026, with a tender for the disposal of 18 lakh metric tonnes of waste issued.
