Delhi has launched a 24/7 AI-based command and control centre to track air pollution in real time and respond faster as winter smog approaches. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated the facility on October 1.

The centre sits at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s IT Park in Shastri Park. It brings air-quality data, complaints, inspection records and field-team activity onto one dashboard.

Artificial intelligence, CCTV cameras and GPS tracking will monitor more than 700 construction sites. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the system will alert officials and site owners when PM10 dust levels rise.

The centre will also track GPS-enabled road-sweeping machines and watch for open waste and biomass burning. Rapid action teams called Vayu Rakshaks, with body cameras and GPS vehicles, will work across 39 divisions.

Monitoring stations will grow from 47 to 60, and 334 enforcement teams will operate in shifts. The launch comes with a winter action plan: a construction ban from November 1, fuel only for vehicles with a valid pollution certificate, and 50 per cent work from home in offices.

Citizens can report violations on the Green Delhi app. This winter will be the new centre’s first real test.