Indian PM's office directly monitors capital's air situation

NEW DELHI - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office is directly monitoring the air pollution in the Indian capital, said an official statement issued by the Prime Minister Office (PMO) on Sunday.

An official source in the Prime Minister Office also confirmed that Principal Secretary to Prime Minister P.K. Mishra held a high-level meeting on Sunday evening with officials from Punjab, Haryana and Delhi to tackle air pollution.

Air pollution touched alarming levels, even as according to the latest figures the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded at 999 at several places on Sunday. The acceptable AQI level is below 200.

The PMO's official asked the neighbouring states to reduce fire incidents and dust levels due to adverse meteorological conditions in the last three days.

About 300 teams have been deployed in the national capital to tackle the challenge of air pollution.