Delhi AQI: CAQM Sets Up 15-Member Expert Group, House Panel Bats For Updated Air Quality Norms

(MENAFN- Live Mint) In view of the severe air pollution in the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has set up an expert panel to recommend a robust and multi-pronged roadmap to reduce vehicular emissions.

The CAQM announced the development in a statement issued on Friday.

“Vehicular emissions remain a major contributor for air pollution in Delhi-NCR aggravating PM2.5, Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emissions. This poses serious public-health challenges in the region,” said the statement.

The committee shall“review policies, programmes and regulatory frameworks related to clean mobility, including BS norms, electric mobility initiatives and fuel-efficiency standards across Delhi-NCR”, it added.

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The expert committee, comprising 15 members, brings together leading academics, health specialists, automotive research institutions, and other experts in their respective fields.

The panel will be led by Ashok Jhunjhunwala of IIT Madras. Other members include Randeep Guleria, former Director AIIMS-Delhi; Mukesh Sharma of IIT Kanpur; Arvind Kumar, Founder of Lung Care Foundation; Sagnik Dey of IIT Delhi; and representative of MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport & Highways) not below the rank of Joint Secretary.

According to the statement, the committee would assess segment-wise contributions of vehicular emissions and related exposure risks.

It would also examine technological readiness, infrastructural requirements, cost implications and incentive plans for an accelerated Electric Vehicle (EV) transition across vehicle segments.

The panel is scheduled to submit its recommendations within two months. It may also consult the stakeholders and furnish interim recommendations.

Its first meeting is scheduled to be held on 15 December 2025.

The statement further said:“The constitution of this expert committee will advance evidence-based policy action for improving air quality and safeguarding public health in Delhi-NCR.”

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Meanwhile, a parliamentary panel on Friday asked the Centre to come up with the updated National Ambient Air Quality Standards "at the earliest", noting that the standards were last revised in 2009.

In a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Friday, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change also recommended that all manual stations in the Delhi-NCR be upgraded to continuous ambient air quality monitoring systems.

It observed that the current distribution of air quality monitoring stations in Delhi is "heavily skewed" towards central and southern parts of the city, which are relatively less populated, greener and more affluent.

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