Delhi Pollution: Cabinet Approves 30 EV Road Sweepers, Real-Time PM2.5 And PM10 Monitoring With IIT Delhi

The Delhi government has approved two measures to strengthen its pollution-control efforts ahead of winter: the deployment of 30 electric vehicle-based mechanical road sweeping machines on smaller roads and the development of a real-time system to identify sources of PM2.5 and PM10 in collaboration with IIT Delhi. The decisions were taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday as part of the Winter Action Plan 2026-27.

30 EV Road Sweepers Deployed

The Cabinet has decided to extend mechanised road cleaning to smaller roads where the facility is currently unavailable, with road dust identified by the government as a significant source of particulate pollution.

The Delhi government will provide a grant to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to procure 30 EV-based mechanical road sweeping machines. The initiative will cover around 609 km of roads with a right of way of less than 10 metres, with 854 roads across 250 wards identified for the purpose.

The MCD will deploy and operate the machines. The 10-year cost of the initiative is estimated at around ₹393.73 crore.

The government said the use of electric machines would help keep the mechanised cleaning process environmentally friendly while expanding efforts to reduce road-dust pollution.

IIT Delhi Partnership

The Cabinet has also approved a five-year collaboration with IIT Delhi for continuous, real-time source apportionment of PM2.5 and PM10.

The system will analyse major pollution sources and their contribution over a 24-hour period, including vehicular emissions, road dust and biomass burning.

The existing super site at Rouse Avenue will be reactivated for scientific operations, while a mobile laboratory will be used for targeted studies of pollution hotspots and local sources.

Estimated to cost ₹19.22 crore over five years, the project will also include a real-time dashboard, analytical reporting and capacity-building for Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) officials.

Gupta said the two measures would combine ground-level action with scientific monitoring to strengthen the government's pollution-control strategy.

She said the campaign would continue throughout the year, with the government focusing on pollution sources, enforcement and public participation rather than limiting action to the winter months.