Rekha Gupta government is continuously taking strict steps to deal with pollution in Delhi. In this context, another decision has been taken, under which the vehicles whose pollution level is gone or which do not have pollution certificate, will not be given petrol or diesel. This information was given by Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

Why was this decision taken?

Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that an important decision has been taken in view of pollution in Delhi. Under this, those vehicles will not get fuel, which do not have PUC i.e. Pollution Control Certificate. Challan will also be issued for such vehicles. Apart from this, if any vehicle less than BS6 comes from outside Delhi, it will be confiscated.

Which things are banned?

It is noteworthy that due to continuously increasing pollution, Grape-4 is implemented in Delhi. In such a situation, construction work has been banned. There is also a complete ban on bringing construction materials like badpur and sand. Besides, running of diesel generators has also been banned.

How bad is the situation in Delhi?

Let us tell you that pollution has been continuously increasing in Delhi since Diwali. On December 14, the average AQI in Delhi was beyond 400, while at many places it was recorded between 500 to 600. People are continuously targeting the government regarding this. He says that the Rekha Gupta government of Delhi has consistently proved to be a failure on this front.

Also read: Half of December has passed… If you still do not complete this work then it will be a problem, know the important things.

Delhi Government Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has apologized to the public regarding the increasing air pollution and falling Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi, on which Congress MP Priyanka Vadra has now taken a dig. Priyanka Gandhi has said that what is the benefit of apologizing on behalf of Delhi government. They should get their work done and we all together should find some solution for this, but there is no discussion on this here.

Actually, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa in Delhi Government held a press conference on Tuesday (December 16, 2025). In this, Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa apologized to the people of Delhi regarding the increasing air pollution and decreasing AQI in Delhi. He said that our government in Delhi is fully engaged in improving the average AQI every month. While apologizing to the people of Delhi, I just want to say that it is absolutely impossible for any government to clean up all the pollution in 9 to 10 months, but I want to tell you, the people of Delhi, that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has been dishonest and deceitful, we have improved it and reduced the AQI and if we keep reducing it in the same manner, then only it will be possible to provide clean air to Delhi.

Targeted at Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi

During this, Delhi Government Cabinet Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa targeted Congress MPs Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, citing the previous governments of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Congress. He said, ‘These diseases in Delhi were caused by the Aam Aadmi Party for the last 10-11 years and the Congress government for the first 15 years.’

Delhi: Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, “…I want to apologize to the people of Delhi and say that it is impossible for any government to completely eliminate pollution in just nine-ten months. However, I want to assure Delhi residents that we have worked tirelessly to… pic.twitter.com/xYiY6zAJDQ

— IANS (@ians_india) December 16, 2025

He said, ‘Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are currently talking about wearing masks, so I want to ask them where were these masks of yours last year, when there was more pollution in Delhi.’ He further said, ‘Last year there were dirtier days than this. Last year, even on this day, AQI was 380, but neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi was seen anywhere, because these people were associated with Aam Aadmi Party at that time and today they have remembered everything.

We are taking action every day like a doctor- Manjinder Singh Sirsa

Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, ‘Of course there is pollution in Delhi, it is harming the health of children, but this is given by the Aam Aadmi Party, which we are trying to fix.’ He said that like a doctor, we are taking action against him every day, but Aam Aadmi Party has given the task of making people sick.

Also read: ‘Modi ji definitely hates two things’, Rahul Gandhi took a dig at changing the name of MNREGA.

The serious problem of pollution persists in the national capital of the country. Due to air pollution in Delhi, health related problems of people are increasing. Meanwhile, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa has given a big statement. While apologizing to the people of Delhi, he said that it is impossible for any government to completely eliminate pollution in just nine-ten months. Along with Aam Aadmi Party, he also held Congress responsible for this.

Delhi government minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “Our government in Delhi is trying to improve the average AQI every month. While apologizing to the people of Delhi, I want to say that it is impossible for any government to clean up all the pollution in 9-10 months. But I want to tell you, people of Delhi, that the Aam Aadmi Party government has been dishonest and deceitful, we have improved it and reduced the AQI.

Delhi: Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says, “…I want to apologize to the people of Delhi and say that it is impossible for any government to completely eliminate pollution in just nine-ten months. However, I want to assure Delhi residents that we have worked tirelessly to… pic.twitter.com/xYiY6zAJDQ

— IANS (@ians_india) December 16, 2025

Pollution disease due to AAP and Congress- Sirsa

Sirsa further said, “Only if we continue to reduce pollution in this manner, it is possible to provide clean air to Delhi. This is the disease of the previous government of Aam Aadmi Party for 10-12 years and Congress for 15 years. Now when Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi ji talk about wearing masks, I want to ask them, where were your masks last year? Last year there was more pollution than this.

‘Pollution in Delhi harms people’s health’

He also said, “Last year there were dirtier days than this.” Last year, if we talk about today, AQI was 380 but neither Rahul Gandhi nor Priyanka Gandhi was seen. These people were associated with Aam Aadmi Party. Today he has remembered everything. Of course there is pollution in Delhi, children’s health is being harmed but this is the contribution of Aam Aadmi Party, which we are trying to fix. We are taking action every day like doctors, but the Aam Aadmi Party has given us the task of making people sick.

Let us tell you that on Tuesday (December 16) morning, some improvement was seen in the air quality (AQI) of the national capital, where the AQI was 377 as compared to 498 a day earlier. However, there was fog in the city and visibility was also low.

In view of the continuously deteriorating air quality in Delhi, Rekha Gupta’s government has started taking steps on a large scale. Under the guidelines of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), an advisory has been issued to private offices to work on-site with only 50% of the employees and to provide work-from-home facility to the rest. The government’s aim is to prevent the air quality from deteriorating further during the peak of pollution.

50% staff in private offices to work from home

According to the new advisory of Delhi government, private offices in the capital will now work with the physical presence of half the employees. This step has been taken as a precautionary measure to reduce the pollution pressure and help in maintaining stable air quality of the city. The government says that in the current situation this system is very important.

Government’s strictness amid GRAP-III

The capital is currently in Grape-III stage, due to which many restrictions are already in force. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said, “During GRAP-III, the Delhi government is taking every necessary step rapidly. Our focus is on clean air, public health and real-time monitoring on the ground.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta herself is reviewing the level of pollution. The government is especially cautious about the safety of vulnerable groups—such as the elderly, children and sick people. Officials have been instructed to take immediate action on every changing situation.

The government has already made changes in the timing of government offices.

To reduce the crowd and pressure of vehicles, the government has already changed the timetable of government offices. MCD offices will be functional from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm and Delhi Government offices will be functional from 10:00 am to 6:30 pm. This system will remain effective till February 2026, so that traffic is reduced during peak hours and pollution is also relieved.

Pollution control drive intensified, more than 2000 personnel on ground

Minister Sirsa said, “24×7 teams of Delhi government are continuously working on the ground. So far, more than 1,200 construction sites and industries have been inspected, show cause notices have been issued to more than 200. Whereas 50 polluting sites have been closed with immediate effect. The government says that all these efforts are part of a big and serious pollution control drive, from which the neighboring states are also getting direction.

Instructions to private offices to immediately implement advisory

The government has appealed to all private institutions to disseminate the new advisory to all their branches and teams and ensure that it is fully followed.

Pollution control is our priority- Manjinder Singh Sirsa

The Environment Minister said that the government under the leadership of Chief Minister Rekha Gupta is continuously working towards reducing pollution. He said, “Our priority is that the measures to reduce pollution are implemented with full effect and its impact on the daily life of Delhi is minimal.”

Delhi High Court has sought answers from the Central Government and Delhi Police in a case related to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. This notice was issued on the application of Delhi Government Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, in which he has demanded to present the old report of a police officer in the court.

Delhi government minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa says that during the riots, Kamal Nath was present at the site of violence at Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib and this is recorded in the police records. He told the court that the report submitted by the then Additional Police Commissioner Gautam Kaul to the then Police Commissioner should be included in the record.

Delhi High Court sought answers from Center and Delhi Police

During the hearing of the case in Delhi High Court, Justice Ravinder Dudeja issued notice to Delhi Police and Central Government asking them to file their reply by January 15, 2026. On behalf of Manjinder Singh Sirsa, senior lawyer H.S. Phulka said that there were clear reports published in police records and many newspapers regarding Kamal Nath’s presence. But these things have not been included in the status report of the government.

The application was filed in the court in the year 2022

This application is part of Sirsa’s main petition filed in 2022 in the Delhi High Court. In which he had demanded to investigate the alleged role of Kamal Nath and arrest him. In this case, five people were made accused in the FIR lodged at Parliament Street Police Station. It is alleged that all these accused were staying in Kamal Nath’s house. Later he was acquitted due to lack of evidence. According to the petition, during the riots, the Gurudwara was attacked by a mob and two Sikhs died tragically.

Two trials of cloud seeding conducted by Delhi’s Rekha Gupta government to reduce pollution were not as successful as expected. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the main reason for this failure was the lack of moisture in the clouds.

During a special conversation with ABP News, Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the cost of cloud seeding once is around Rs 30 to 35 lakh. Whereas 9-10 operations cost around Rs 3 crore.

‘For this reason the trial was not successful’

He said that IIT Kanpur and Delhi government together tried cloud seeding twice, but due to lack of sufficient moisture, rain could not occur. Sirsa further said that during the trial on Tuesday, there was only 15 percent moisture in the atmosphere, whereas at least 50 percent moisture is required for artificial rainfall.

‘Will do trial again’

However, he also said that with the new chemical mixture prepared by the IIT Kanpur team, artificial rain can be produced in future even in spite of low humidity. The minister said that according to the India Meteorological Department, there is a possibility of humidity increasing by evening. Therefore, as soon as the weather becomes favourable, the next trial of cloud seeding will be conducted again. He said that our efforts will continue.

Answer given on AAP’s question

Meanwhile, Aam Aadmi Party leader and former Health Minister Saurabh Bhardwaj has raised questions on this experiment. He says that this is a waste of public money. Responding to this, Sirsa said that when his government was in power, he kept talking about cloud seeding for ten years but did not even sign the MoU. We tried, did trials for the first time, what if we did not get results immediately – we will not give up.

Sirsa further said that Saurabh Bhardwaj’s criticism is just a joke because his government only talked, whereas the present government showed action.

Trial is being done with the help of scientists of IIT Kanpur

It is noteworthy that for the first time artificial rainfall has been tried in Delhi with the help of scientists from IIT Kanpur. Its objective is to reduce air pollution and improve the air quality of the capital. This technology has already been successful in countries like the US, China and the United Arab Emirates, where it has been adopted to tackle drought and pollution.

Even after the trial of cloud seeding conducted on Tuesday (28 October) in an effort to reduce pollution and provide artificial rain in Delhi, no effect was seen. The reason given in the report of IIT Kanpur is that due to lack of moisture, the impact of cloud seeding could not be achieved in Delhi-NCR.

The IIT Kanpur team said that two sorties were conducted today and a total of 14 flares were released into the clouds. However, due to the moisture in the clouds being very low, about 10 to 15 percent, it could not rain. According to the Meteorological Department, only 0.1 mm rain was recorded in Noida in NCR on Tuesday. Experts say that with such low humidity, it was almost impossible to get rain from cloud seeding.

Trial will take place tomorrow also

The team said that they are keeping an eye on all the weather conditions and two more attempts will be made on Wednesday (October 29). As of now, today’s experiment has shown ‘limited effect’. Overall, due to lack of moisture, efforts for artificial rain in Delhi-NCR could not be successful, but the IIT Kanpur team will continue the experiments in future also.

8 flares used

Let us tell you that 8 flares were used in cloud seeding. The weight of each flare was 2-2.5 kg. These flares released content into the clouds. There was 15-20 percent moisture in the clouds. The test, aimed at creating artificial rainfall to tackle air pollution in the national capital, is part of the Delhi government’s broader strategy to improve the deteriorating air quality during the winter months.

Now preparations for artificial rain from the sky have been completed in Delhi. To stop the increasing pollution in the capital, the Delhi government has finalized the plan of cloud seeding i.e. artificial rain. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that the first trial will be conducted in North Delhi. For the last four days, pilots have been continuously practicing by bringing aircraft from Meerut and have flown to the height from where the raining process will be done.

Sirsa said that all necessary approvals for cloud seeding have been received from the Civil Aviation Department and other agencies. Now only permission from the Meteorological Department remains to be obtained. He said that as soon as approval is received from the Meteorological Department, the trial of artificial rain will be started within three hours. The special aircraft used for this process is currently parked in Meerut and is ready for flight.

There will be five trials in the capital

The Environment Minister said that a total of five trials will be conducted in Delhi. Earlier this trial was to be held in September, but it was postponed due to technical reasons. After this, a new date of trial was fixed between 5th to 7th October, but due to natural rains during that time, it had to be postponed again. Now the government is trying to conduct this trial successfully around or after Diwali.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that teams of 23 departments are involved in this entire process which are working in coordination. He said that this is a big experiment to reduce the increasing pollution in Delhi. If the trial is successful then it will be implemented on a large scale.

Artificial rain is a scientific technology

Cloud seeding i.e. artificial rain is a scientific technique in which special chemicals (such as silver iodide or sodium chloride) are released into the clouds from airplanes. These chemicals condense moisture in clouds, causing artificial rain. This technology has already been used in countries like China, America and Dubai.

The government hopes that the artificial rain will reduce the dust and pollution in Delhi’s air to a great extent and people will get some relief. This will be the first time in Delhi that the government will try to make it rain from the sky to deal with pollution.

The joint efforts of the central government, state government and scientists are now going to land on the ground to provide relief from suffocating pollution in the winter of Delhi. Dgca Done IIT Kanpur has been allowed cloud seeding in the capital from 1 October to 30 November 2025. This is the first time in the country when the path of artificial rainfall is opening.

Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told that, under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, Dgca Done IIT Kanpur has been allowed for cloud seeding in Delhi. Regarding this initiative, the Environment Minister said that this is a historic step in India’s fight against pollution.

‘Government priority to provide immediate relief to people’

Environment Minister Sirsa said that instructions have been given to keep the aircraft on standby. As soon as the weather and scientific conditions are favorable, there will be an attempt to start the initial trial between October 1 to 11. He says that it is the priority of the government to get relief from pollution as soon as possible.

IIT Kanpur aircraft will be the base of cloud seeding

Under permission IIT Kanpur team VT-IIT (Cessna 206h) Will use the aircraft. Dgca According to the guidelines of, only licensed and experienced pilots will fly. Flights under safety standards Vfr following the rules, ATC Will be done in collaboration with clearance and airport authority.

Dgca Has clarified that it will be mandatory to avoid restricted areas during flight. Any kind of air photography will not be allowed and foreign crews will not be involved. All procedures will take place keeping in mind the safety and privacy standards.

Part of Delhi’s clean air strategy

Sirsa said that attempts for cloud seeding of Delhi 24x7 Clean air strategy is part of. Its purpose is to save people from increasing pollution, especially in winter and protect their health.

Point to be noted is that, IIT Kanpur was earlier allowed for cloud seeding, but due to lack of favorable weather in July, trials could not be done. Now trials will be completed if the weather conditions improve in the new time limit.

The Delhi government is preparing to trial artificial rain by 15 October. The government’s environment department is constantly monitoring atmospheric conditions and has sought update information from the Meteorological Department about the status of monsoon and withdrawal date, so that the civil aviation can be applied for a new time-limit acceptance for cloud-seeding (DGCA).

Delhi’s Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa told the media, “The department will test after the return of the monsoon so that it can get the best results. As soon as clear information is received from the Meteorological Department, the DGCA will again write a letter and seek necessary permission to conduct these artificial rain campaigns safely.

Artificial rain will be initiated under strict supervision- Sirsa

Minister Sirsa said that the last deadline will be decided on the basis of the trends of atmospheric data and scientific assessment of the situation of clouds. This active step of the government has been taken towards removing the concerns of falling ground water level and rising air pollution after the monsoon in the national capital. This initiative of artificial rainfall will be done under strict supervision and a detailed report of the Meteorological Department will be helpful in its implementation.

What was the minister Sirsa announced in July?

Earlier, in a press conference held in July, Sirsa announced that the test was postponed due to the arrival of monsoon. The test was postponed by the end of August as the expected results could be affected due to rain. The test to be held between July 4 and July 11 has been re -determined. In view of consultation with meteorological experts and the current weather, the project team proposed the revised period from 30 August to 10 September.

Sirsa further said, “The new period is likely to provide more suitable cloud structures for the cloud-seeding process.” This campaign will be done by the Aerospace Engineering Department of IIT Kanpur, with the experts of the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorological Institute (IITM), Pune and India Meteorological Department (IMD), 206-A aircraft (VT-IIT).