Delhi gets 150 electric buses, 13 new air monitoring stations

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, along with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, on Tuesday inaugurated 13 additional air quality monitoring stations and public EV charging stations at five locations, and flagged off 150 new electric buses.

Along with a team of officials, the Ministers also reviewed air pollution mitigation measures being undertaken at Anand Vihar, an air pollution hotspot, and visited an Integrated Command and Control Centre of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee.

An official statement issued by his Ministry quoted Mr. Yadav as saying that with the 13 new stations, the national capital now has 60 air quality monitoring stations at a density of one per 25 sq km.

It added that the network would be expanded to other cities in the National Capital Region (NCR). Mr. Yadav said the monitoring stations provide real-time air quality data through the Central Pollution Control Board server and the SAMEER mobile application.

The Chief Minister said the government is addressing all aspects of pollution control simultaneously, including transport, monitoring and infrastructure.

She also said tackling Delhi’s pollution challenge requires a rapid shift towards electric public transport and stronger supporting infrastructure.

“The government aims to provide better transport facilities to Delhi residents and accelerate efforts to make the Capital cleaner and more sustainable. The addition of 150 electric buses and the launch of public EV charging stations at five locations — ISBT Anand Vihar, Nand Nagri depot, Rohini Sector-37 depot, Nangloi depot and Keshopur depot — mark significant progress in this direction,” the Chief Minister added.

Public transport boost

The new buses are air-conditioned, low-floor vehicles equipped with CCTV cameras, panic buttons, real-time tracking and facilities for persons with disabilities. With the addition of 150 new electric buses, the number of electric buses in Delhi has gone up to 5,238.

The city’s overall bus fleet comprises around 6,988 buses, including 1,750 that run on CNG.

The government aims to increase the fleet to around 14,000 buses by 2028-29.

Every winter, air pollution spikes in Delhi-NCR, mainly due to meteorological factors such as lower wind speeds and a drop in temperature. Stubble burning and bursting of firecrackers worsen air quality and add to the emissions from vehicles.