MCD Left Nearly ₹29 Crore Unspent Under Clean Air Plan Despite Delhi’s Hazardous AQI

As the National Capital grapples with hazardous air quality for the third consecutive day, an RTI response has exposed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi's (MCD) failure to utilise over ₹28.77 crore in funds allocated under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) over the past two years, exacerbating the city's pollution crisis amid winter's onset. Filed by Noida-based environmentalist Amit Haul, the application sought details on fund utilisation certificates submitted to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, revealing that MCD entered the 2023-24 financial year with ₹26.6 crore in unspent balances from prior allocations.

By March 2025, only ₹1.34 crore had been expended, leaving a staggering ₹29.5 crore idle, including ₹75 lakh in accrued interest for 2024-25, despite Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) dipping into the 'severe' category with PM2.5 levels exceeding 400 µg/m³ in areas like Anand Vihar and RK Puram. The Supreme Court, monitoring the situation, issued a stern warning on November 13 against complacency, directing the Commission for Air Quality Management to enforce stricter measures like a 50% work-from-home mandate and vehicle rationing.

Launched in 2019 by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, NCAP targets a 40% reduction in particulate matter concentrations by 2026 across 131 non-attainment cities, including Delhi, through interventions like mechanised road sweeping, water sprinklers for dust suppression, installation of continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations, development of green buffers along roads, and enhanced waste management to curb open burning. Delhi, identified as a 'Tier 1' city under the programme, was allocated significant funds—totalling ₹11,211 crore nationally from 2019 to 2025—to address multi-source pollution from vehicles, construction dust, industrial emissions, and stubble burning in neighbouring states.

However, the RTI highlights MCD's "not very effective" ground-level implementation, with inspection reports noting incomplete commitments under the 'Air Quality Challenge Method', a reform-linked framework that ties future disbursements to progress milestones. Nationally, only 68% of NCAP funds (₹7,594 crore) have been utilised, skewed heavily toward road dust mitigation (67%), while sectors like industrial controls and public awareness receive just 1% each, underscoring systemic gaps in holistic planning.

The revelation has drawn sharp criticism from activists and opposition leaders, who accuse the AAP-led MCD—formed after the 2022 unification of Delhi's three municipal bodies—of bureaucratic inertia and poor coordination with the central government. Environmentalist Gupta termed the lapse "criminal negligence", arguing that the unspent funds could have financed 500 additional water-sprinkling units or expanded green cover by 200 hectares, potentially averting the annual November smog spike.

BJP councillors in MCD have demanded an audit and the ouster of the Civic Chief, while AAP defended the data as outdated, claiming accelerated spending post-merger on projects like 1,000 electric sweepers. This mirrors broader challenges in NCAP, where only 50 of 130 cities have completed source apportionment studies to pinpoint pollution contributors, hampering targeted action.

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With Diwali 2025 approaching and forecasts predicting prolonged stagnation, the MCD's fund mismanagement amplifies calls for accountability under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, and potential withholding of future grants. As Delhi enforces emergency curbs like school closures and odd-even vehicle rules, the RTI serves as a wake-up call for integrated urban governance, urging the Commission for Air Quality Management to prioritise utilisation audits and inter-agency synergy to meet NCAP's ambitious goals before the 2026 deadline.

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