- 58 minutes ago
The Delhi government has launched an integrated twenty-four seven Artificial Intelligence-based Command and Control Centre to monitor and combat the national capital's worsening air pollution. Inaugurated ahead of the peak winter pollution period, the facility integrates round-the-clock surveillance across several sectors. It tracks mechanical road sweeping machines in real time, observes 789 construction sites with live CCTV integration at 716 locations to curb PM10 dust emissions, and monitors citywide Air Quality Index stations. Rapid action backup teams termed 'Vayu Rakshaks' have been deployed with GPS-enabled vehicles and body cameras across 39 divisions to investigate local sources of pollution such as open garbage burning and traffic bottlenecks. Furthermore, the administration outlined broader seasonal measures under its winter action plan, including a prohibition on construction activity starting November, restrictions on non-Delhi vehicles below BS-VI standards, mandatory Pollution Under Control certification for fuel purchase, doubling of Delhi Metro parking fees, and a fifty percent physical attendance limit for offices.
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NewsTranscript
00:17Hello and welcome. I'm Sonal Merotra Kapoor. This is 5 Live. You know October is here.
00:25October, November the time when instead of rejoicing in the national capital, we fear
00:30about the pollution. My throat is perhaps telling you a story and so is that the pollution
00:37season is just upon us. But where am I at the moment? I am here because for the first
00:43time we have a monitoring system which is 24-7. I'm here because just today the national
00:49capital, the most polluted city in the world, has decided to have an integrated 24-7 control
00:57room which will only be tracking pollution. So what exactly is this? How will it help?
01:05And importantly, does it bring in any ray of hope? I'll be joined by the Delhi Environment
01:10Minister, Mr. Sirsa, who has just inaugurated this entire room today. Before I come to you,
01:17sir, I just want to give our audiences a quick glimpse of what this integrated command control
01:24centre is all about. Inaugurated just this morning under the Delhi government, this has
01:31live tracking of every building which is constructing, live tracking of every place where perhaps some
01:42burning activity is taking place and live tracking of where all the vacuum cleaning machines are
01:51running as well. There are some body cameras where these environment soldiers, if you can call
01:58them that, or SEVACs as they like to call themselves, are out there tracking what exactly
02:04is taking place. I'm going to take you through all of them one by one. But first, to the Minister,
02:12congratulations on this. The hope is that, like I said, my throat is telling, my throat is saying
02:21a story of what is about to come in the days. But with the pollution season upon us, the first
02:27important thing has always been to acknowledge that there is a problem, monitor the problem,
02:33and then arrive at a solution. What is your hope with this ICCC?
02:38Definitely. What you said is true that we are acknowledging also, and we are working on
02:43it also. If you see this integrated command control centre, it is an AI-based, high-tech
02:49control and commanding centre. So controlling the situation in the entire Delhi, and giving
02:55the commands wherever it is required. Like we got all AQI stations monitored here. So if there
03:01is some rising in AQI in some particular station, it is beyond that average which we have, then
03:07immediately we got a Vayu Rakshak here, which they are again monitored here itself. They will rush to
03:14that place, see what is the reason, whether a traffic jam is creating a problem, or whether some kind of
03:20fire is taking place, some kind of a burning is there, or a commission ground is creating more of
03:25the pollution. What could be the reason? So that reasons, apart from everyday reasons, we try to
03:30identify that. So second, if you see this screen, all MRS which we are running today. Today we are
03:36just running, today we are running 65. Another 70 are on the way, maybe in November, or in the first
03:42week of December, we will be able to put that also in place. So all those are monitored here. You
03:47see
03:47this, if you can, this entire MRS, mechanical road sweepers are monitored with this number, their vehicle
03:55number, their location. I just want Amit to go in and zoom in on that little truck that you see
04:01over
04:01there. If you see that truck, that is a live truck which is currently sweeping the streets of the
04:08national capital. There are 68 of them, all being monitored in real time. What you see over there is
04:14the map of Delhi. It gives you an average AQI at the moment, standing at 166. Where we are at
04:22the moment,
04:22or perhaps the contornment area and other places, it's about 92. But this is where monitoring of live
04:31entire, you know, CPCB system and monitoring of live pollution meters happen. Here is where the trucks
04:37are. This screen is particularly interesting, Sivsaji, because, because this gives you live CCTV footage
04:44of almost... What is driving PM10? So here, PM10. So the construction and the dust is driving PM10. So we
04:52are monitoring. Today, we are monitoring as such 789 sites. Out of them, 716 are connected with a camera.
05:00And it's integrated camera with our command center. So every site is monitored here. You can see these are
05:05the few sites which are beyond the norms, controlled norms. So they are highlighted here. So same,
05:11the next screen, if you talk about the same 789 sites are monitored there. Whichever sites has a red mark,
05:18it is going to be, the pollution is going beyond there. The another one is Jan Bhaagidari. As you said,
05:24where do people can put their actions, if they want to come some complaint, or they want to give some
05:28suggestions. Suggestion bhi hai, is mein complaint bhi hai, aur if you are have kind of a,
05:33aap amare sat initiative mein koi jook rrei hai hai, to aap ko us ke liye sanmanit bhi kaya jai.
05:37So this
05:37Jan Bhaagidari is for that purpose. Okay, let's take it step by step. We spoke about the cleaning systems.
05:43I want Amit to turn back again and take you to that, to that screen over there. Those are
05:50789 sites that are live at the moment, all under construction in Delhi. So all these sites that you
06:00see marked over here, all of them are under construction. Out of the 789 that are marked over
06:06here, 716 have CCTV cameras where you get to see a live sort of shot of what's happening. What's
06:15interesting here, sir, is that it gives you an estimate of how much smoke, how much dust
06:21is actually taking place. So you know exactly which location and what is the cause and what
06:28is really taking place. He kuch orange mein ho, kuch yellow mein kyo hain?
06:32Orange is 9 percent dust. So it is, wherever you find it's more than 40 percent, it will turn to
06:38the red,
06:39if you see. So sometimes, so the dust is 9 percent. So it has to be on the norms, which
06:45are precise
06:46norms, which should be on a zero level. Kyunki waha pae hum pani, waha pae sprinklers, waha pae mist,
06:52sab kuch laghaja jata, so unka zero rehna chahiyeh. These are the other sites, yo jitni construction
06:57sites ho rehi hain. These are the few red ones. If you put on some, any red ones hain. Yeh
07:03green hain,
07:04yeh orange hain. So all ki, yaha pae, unko sab ko monitor kiya jara hai. As I told you, this
07:08is
07:08Jan Bhaagedari. And if you see this site. Just spend some time here. When you say construction dust,
07:14that largely means PM10, that should also be able to tell you, ki agar aise jagha hon par jaha pae
07:20apko red
07:21alert dikh raha hain. What is then happening? Because it's important for viewers to understand
07:27that what are you doing with all this information? Our AI based unko message jara hai. Hamne abhi
07:31usko portal is AI is backed. To abhi unka humara message bja raha unko. The immediately, momently,
07:38yeh up upar jayega, immediately unko alert chile jayega. Unko mail bhi jayega, unko whatsapp bhi jayega.
07:44And then our team. Saying what? Saying what kiya aapke norm joe hain. Yeh aapka
07:47police s aque wakht ke norm say. Aapka pollution ka aqi yaha pere itna hain. Aapka dust dust itna hain.
07:52They have to put on their smog meters, dust meters. They have to put on their smog meters, dust meters.
07:56Usko tehaan. Bars, pani aur chitne juraura tae. Aap sprinkles laga. To dousra,
08:00pher uske baad hain hee monitoring team isi liye bae ithi hain. Pher yeh manually be follow up
08:03kaartate hain. Or hain peh yu rakhshak hain. Jaha hain peh hume rakhshak ke control se nahin
08:08aara hain wahaa wahaw rakhshak ki team jayegi. Joh wahayu rakhshak ki team jayegi,
08:11that is also our AI monitor, we also monitor it with GPS and the people who are going to
08:18go, we have given body cams so that no one can say that it will be extortion or that
08:24our people will not be able to put alligation, the body cams will not be able to do it in
08:29India, there is no other concept that we have taken it with body cams.
08:33The viewers who are just joining in, let me give you a quick recap. You start by understanding
08:39how much pollution in the area, you then break it down into what's causing the pollution,
08:44you identify the cause and that's when you are taken by Vayu Rakshaks, as the minister
08:51put it, live to the location. You see the footage over here? This is a live footage, sir to take
08:58you exactly to that place.
09:00So this is what? This is another, we are putting 100 more cameras. These cameras, we are putting
09:09on a very high rise, that pole, that flag poles. So the purpose is, if you can see this,
09:18they can move up to 3 km, 2 km radius. So the spot, open burning. So the open burning,
09:24that we identify for these, this is a model. This is a model. Now we are studying this,
09:30how much work will be done, proof of concept is done. And the moment it will be taken.
09:34Okay, give me an example. Your camera has here. This is a model. This is a model.
09:54one camera, you have a camera. This is a capsule, a which means you have a
10:00one of our DPC-C, four persons of the people. They will immediately reach there. And the
10:04other car goes there, they will do it. So this is a pollution rapid response team.
10:08So this is like a pollution rapid response team.
10:09Yeah, exactly, yes. This is a rapid team that you are seeing. This is a rapid action team.
10:13There is a rapid action team in the locations which we can see in the location?
10:30And that is what it will show.
10:42Right.
10:52So this kind of video you will get from our Y.U. Rekshak.
11:06This is a screen.
11:11This is a screen.
11:22Here.
11:23What happened here, this is the whole activity of our today.
11:30How much of my equity was today?
11:3226, 7, 28, 30.
11:36How much of our equity is today?
11:38How much of our equity was today?
11:38How much of our equity was today?
11:39How much of our equity was today?
11:40How much of our equity was today?
11:58foreign
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13:16So in a nutshell, what you're seeing right now,
13:19over here, is a first of its kind in the country,
13:23an AI-powered control room only to track pollution.
13:27This is a big step.
13:29We've been talking and demanding for the governments
13:32to acknowledge the matter,
13:34that air pollution is taking away the lives.
13:36We have so much big seats to acknowledge.
13:37Yes.
13:38I don't think that could be a better acknowledgement than this.
13:41I can.
13:43And Sirshaji, I want to tell you that the entire winter pollution plan,
13:47when we talked about the last time, in about July,
13:49and we're also running a pollution solution campaign.
13:53We're also inviting many people to talk about it.
13:56And so many people come out and bring out solutions.
14:01Now, the winter action plan,
14:03am I understanding it correctly,
14:04that 1st October onwards,
14:07Grap 1 is permanent now.
14:091st November onwards,
14:11no construction activity will be allowed at all,
14:14no matter who you are,
14:15where you live in Delhi?
14:17If someone has done it,
14:18he will do it.
14:19We have our teams for stopping it.
14:21These are the two words.
14:21These are the teams.
14:22These are one of those.
14:24we can advance from Delhi.
14:26Delhi can also be able to understand their own
14:29What do you need to be a young citizen?
14:30What is my citizen?
14:31If I don't have a young citizen,
14:32if I don't have a young citizen,
14:33then I don't have a young citizen.
14:34Now,
14:35you're with me today,
14:35TV,
14:37and you're making a home,
14:39and you're making a home,
14:39and you're making a home,
14:39and you're making a home,
14:39and you're making a home,
14:40and you're making a home,
14:41to benefit not. So, this is why the people of Delhi can be very careful of you and you can
14:45be able to understand it. But in our side, we have all the knowledge and knowledge
14:49that we have fixed period, we have been in construction. And I am going to tell you
14:53that the people of construction ask us questions. They ask us why we are closed,
14:57why we are closed, why we are closed? No. So, you will have to understand that PM 10
15:00is more localized. PM 2.5 is more travel. But PM 10 is so far, it is localized.
15:10So, this is why we have stopped to focus on the construction.
15:14For our viewers just joining in, let me also give you a quick glimpse over here.
15:18What we are hearing is that from 1st of November to 31st of January is when we will be taking,
15:24you know, any non-Delhi vehicles below BS6 will not be allowed. What we also know is that if you
15:29don't have a PUC, you will not get any, you know, petrol there either. No petrol, no diesel.
15:35Also, truck scanning sand, gravel, bricks will not be allowed during this period. Also,
15:40parking charges, and this is a big one, if you are thinking about parking your cars here in the
15:44festive season, the parking charges from 1st of November to 28th of February by the DMRC have been
15:52doubled. The DMRC buildings where they are government vehicles, they will be the only ones exempt.
15:58But parking charges in Delhi will be doubled during the period of 1st November to 28th of February as
16:03well. Government and private offices are capped at 50% physical attendance from, again, November 1st
16:11to 31st of January, and office timings have been staggered as well. So a lot of preparations are being
16:17done as we brace towards what we now know as the pollution season. And I'm here trying to bring you
16:24all the first glimpse of the integrated command control center, the first of its kind AI powered
16:32control room for pollution. Will this help? We don't know yet. It's an attempt, yes, in the right
16:38direction to try and track all that matters, to bring in accountability as well, to bring in live
16:44camera features and ensure that they're able to spot whether it is burning of garbage, whether it is
16:52construction, whether it is traffic jams, to really get a hold of what is happening over there. Let's
16:59come here and spend some time on this screen. While I'm told there are some more breaking news
17:05that are also coming in. In fact, let me take you through that. While we are here talking about it,
17:10I'm now told that the Supreme Court is hearing in the matter of green crackers. We are told that a
17:16possible middle ground on firecrackers, CPCB has recommended a limited and conditional relaxation
17:23of the ban for the next generation green crackers as well. So what exactly is that about? We will try
17:29and understand all those details.