To curb dust pollution, Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to appoint specialised horticulture agencies to develop green spaces on roads and central verges. This initiative comes ahead of the AI Impact Summit at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20. Currently handled by PWD's horticulture wing, the work has fallen short in quality and maintenance.
Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) is taking steps to develop green spaces along 1,400 km of road stretches, including flyovers, underpasses, and road corridors, to control rising dust pollution. Lakhs of vehicles ply these routes daily, contributing significantly to the issue. A senior PWD official stated, “There is a need for end-to-end paving and developing green spaces on roads, central verges and footpaths.”
Currently, the department's horticulture wing handles this responsibility, but according to the official, “It has been seen that the work is not up to the mark, and these spaces are also not maintained properly.” To address this, tenders will now be issued zone-wise—Northwest, North, and South zones—allowing a single agency to manage plantation and maintenance across an entire zone. An earlier restructuring of the horticulture wing failed to yield desired results.
By March, specialised agencies will be appointed for the 11 PWD circles, focusing on roadside gardening, landscaping, and removing brown patches. Targeted stretches include Ring Road, Mathura Road, Airport Road, Dhaula Kuan, Raj Ghat, Vikas Marg, and Mehrauli, among others. Additionally, recycling plants will be set up to convert pruned plant and tree waste into fertilisers for planting more trees elsewhere.
The PWD also plans to beautify 41 roundabouts with green spaces. Consultants have been appointed to enhance areas under flyovers and foot overbridges, with corporate social responsibility (CSR) participation invited. Companies like GMR, Indian Oil Corporation, and DLF are involved in improving stretches from Azad Market to Inderlok Metro, as well as flyovers at Chirag Delhi, Punjabi Bagh, Mukarba Chowk, and Karampura. Several stretches will be handed over to Dalmia, Vedanta, Dixon, Godrej, EaseMyTrip, ONGC, and others for upkeep and beautification.
