India, Dec. 20 -- Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav has directed authorities in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) to ensure visible improvement in air quality across the region within one week.

Chairing a review meeting of action plans of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh with the municipal bodies concerned on Friday - as Delhi clocked a "very poor" air quality index (AQI) of 376 on Friday - Yadav emphasised that the momentum of actions must be sustained until there is visible improvement in air quality within a week.

"Strict measures must be taken against defaulters, but at the same time the general public must not get inconvenienced unnecessarily. Identified issues are to be addressed through corrective actions, with...