"It won't take more than 15 days to get approval from our state head office to install a new air pollution monitoring machine, as the board will get aid from the Centre for it," said a HSPCB official, requesting anonymity. He added, "The challenge has been getting land allotted to install the machine. We need a plot of 1,000 sq yd to install it, and mark a no-disturbance zone around the device."

While Delhi has 12 air monitoring stations, Millennium City has only one. In 2012, a team from Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) considered three locations — Iffco Chowk, Vikas Sadan near Rajiv Chowk and Cyber City — for installing a stationary air pollution monitoring machine. Eventually, Vikas Sadan was chosen as the site as it was the only land available.

The system was installed in 2014 at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. Since then, the board has been relying on this stationary machine, which is effective around a 4km radius of Vikas Sadan. Experts also upheld the need to have more monitoring machines, get a clearer picture of the level of air pollution. "There is only one machine here, some 20km away from the city's congested areas such as DLF Cyber City, MG Road and Golf Course road. There is an urgent need to install one more station," said Niranjan Raje, a former member of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority.