Fri Dec 26 20:18:18 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and rewritten news article based on the provided text:
Summary:
Delhi’s air quality is worsening, prompting the Delhi government to take action. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced plans to resume shared taxi services through discussions with Ola and Uber to reduce vehicular pollution. The government is also focusing on increasing the number of women drivers and integrating electric vehicles into the taxi system. Efforts are also underway to improve vehicle fitness testing infrastructure. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa cautioned about potential worsening conditions due to upcoming weather changes and urged collaborative efforts to maintain clean air. Enforcement of emission norms under GRAP has been intensified.
News Article:
Delhi Government Tackles ‘Very Poor’ Air Quality with Shared Rides and EV Integration
New Delhi, December 27, 2025 – The Delhi government is taking proactive steps to combat the city’s deteriorating air quality, which has once again fallen into the ‘very poor’ category. Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced plans to reintroduce shared taxi rides by engaging in discussions with cab aggregators like Ola and Uber. This move aims to reduce vehicular pollution, a major contributor to the city’s air quality woes.
“Our focus is on safely and affordably transporting more passengers with fewer vehicles,” CM Gupta stated, emphasizing the importance of shared mobility in reducing both congestion and pollution. The government is also prioritizing the integration of electric vehicles into the city’s taxi ecosystem and aims to increase the number of women drivers.
Efforts to improve vehicle fitness testing are also underway. The Jhuljhuli fitness center is currently operational, and the Burari facility is undergoing upgrades. Two additional centers in Nand Nagri and Tehkhand are expected to be operational by March 2026, collectively enabling fitness tests for approximately 250,000-300,000 commercial vehicles annually.
Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa, while noting the lifting of GRAP-IV restrictions, cautioned about impending weather changes that could worsen air quality. “The clear weather we saw over the past couple of days may not last. We all need to work together to keep Delhi’s air clean,” he urged.
The Delhi Transport Department has intensified enforcement under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), impounding 28 buses for emission violations and issuing nearly 4,000 challans in the past 24 hours.
With the Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecasting ‘very poor’ air quality to persist in the coming days, the Delhi government is urging collaborative efforts to tackle the persistent problem of air pollution.
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