The minister said chief secretaries of all states and Delhi have been requested to ensure that firecrackers which are not compliant to the laid down norms are not sold. He said his ministry would keep a close watch on the progress during the next 4-5 months to ensure cleaner air during winter this. Addressing the meeting of the chief secretaries and senior officers of Delhi and NCR states, the minister said that efficient management of air pollution was the duty of all concerned. Seeking participation of people in the matter, he said that without their participation, the desired results would be difficult to achieve. Vardhan said we should ensure implementation of all long-term actions as directed by the central government in right earnest besides strict implementation of 'Graded Response Action Plan' for various levels of pollution. Asking stakeholders for action, he said the success will lie in ensuring that the emergency levels are not reached, as per the Graded Response Action Plan.

He also called upon all the states to ensure that control rooms are set up in all the states and regular meetings of the task force are held for timely intervention.