Delhi’s anti-smog gun deployment on roads has slowed at the start of the pollution season, with only about 40 of 200 older truck-mounted machines cleared for use so far, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi. The Public Works Department had planned to deploy the older machines temporarily while newly procured equipment is being prepared.
The department decided to use 200 previously deployed anti-smog guns for two months because the new truck-mounted machines are not yet ready. The new equipment is being hired under a revised three-year plan, replacing the earlier practice of hiring anti-smog guns annually.
Although the tender process for the new machines has been completed, the equipment still has to be fitted onto new truck chassis. The installation process is taking time, leaving the department dependent on older machines during the initial period of rising pollution levels.
The older anti-smog guns cannot be deployed without checks. The trucks carrying them must have valid fitness certificates, and each machine must undergo physical and technical inspection before it is placed on the road. The department has formed two committees to examine the equipment, assess its functioning and issue fitness certificates.
The department has said that no machine will be installed, operated or deployed without the required inspection and certification. The checks are intended to establish both the operational condition of the equipment and the roadworthiness of the trucks used to carry it.
The delay has particular significance for roads maintained by the Public Works Department, which is responsible for around 1,440 kilometres of Delhi’s road network. These roads experience heavy traffic, making dust-control operations part of the wider effort to limit pollution from road surfaces and construction-related activity.
Delhi Public Works Department Minister Pravesh Verma said the older machines were being deployed on the basis of their fitness for a two-month period and that work had already begun. He said all the machines would soon be placed on the roads and that new truck-mounted anti-smog guns would become available over the next few months.
Verma also warned that negligence in the inspection and deployment of the older machines would not be tolerated. According to the report, he said an engineer could be suspended immediately if irregularities were found. Committees comprising departmental engineers have been assigned responsibility for the process.
The immediate operational issue is therefore twofold: completing the safety and technical clearance of the older equipment while the new machines are assembled on their truck chassis. The department’s stated next step is to complete inspections and bring the remaining cleared machines onto Delhi’s roads, followed by the availability of the new equipment over the coming months.
