Bhupender Yadav chairs high-level meet on Ghaziabad, Noida air plans

Union Minister Bhupender Yadav chaired a high-level meeting to review Ghaziabad and Noida's action plans against air pollution. This is the first of several reviews for NCR cities, focusing on progress and strengthening on-ground implementation.

Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to undertake a detailed review of the Action Plans of Ghaziabad and Noida aimed at tackling air pollution in the two cities.

This was the first review under a series of review meetings on City-specific action plans in NCR, which would culminate in a State-level review in the coming days. The review is being conducted in the prescribed format, as desired by the Minister during the earlier review meeting held on December 3 to assess progress and strengthen on-ground implementation.

Key Review Parameters

According to an official release by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, detailed presentations were given by the senior officers from the two cities on the action taken. The detailed review of the action plans was undertaken on the basis of the following key parameters, including adoption of smart traffic management systems to curb vehicular emissions; compliance of industrial units with prescribed pollution norms; status of commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet and availability of charging infrastructure; strengthening end-to-end public transport systems and parking facilities. It also included infrastructure augmentation for management of Construction & Demolition (C&D) waste and Municipal Solid Waste (MSW)/legacy waste; end-to-end paving/tiling of roads to reduce dust generation; status of deployment of Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines (MRSMs) and use of anti-smog guns/water sprinklers; greening of pathways and open areas; and Jan Bhagidari initiatives, including IEC activities and app-based grievance redressal mechanisms, inter alia.

Directives for Industrial Compliance

The Minister took an update from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) in the remaining industrial units, along with the status of on-site inspections and handholding support being provided for installations. He directed strict adherence to the December 31 deadline for OCEMS installation and instructed that stringent action be taken against non-compliant units. CPCBs and SPCBs were also directed to inspect polluting and delinquent industries in peri-urban areas and undertake required corrective measures.

Upgrading Action Plans and NCAP

Yadav requested the Commission for Air Quality Management in Delhi-NCR (CAQM) to further fine-tune the parameters used for implementation of city action plans and collate them for reviewing the progress for Delhi-NCR as a whole, in the coming days. He emphasised the need to upgrade the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) parameters to enable rational allocation of funds to better-performing cities. The Minister also stressed active involvement of public representatives and citizens in ground-level implementation of action plans and greening activities, so that pollution control becomes a true Jan Bhagidari movement.

Minister's Specific Suggestions

Greening and Waste Management

Offering specific suggestions, the Minister advised Municipal Authorities to partner with respective Forest Departments for plantation of heat-resistant, low-water-requiring indigenous varieties of bushes and grasses as part of greening efforts. He also called for formulation of integrated waste management plans through coordinated efforts of different government and municipal agencies, avoiding siloed approaches and duplication of resources.

Urban Planning and Transport

CAQM was requested to devise a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for utilisation of urban open spaces for greening and improved urban planning. The Minister further suggested undertaking a study to identify popular routes and bulk traffic movement corridors in Delhi-NCR, followed by provision of end-to-end public transport facilities, at least on these major routes. He underlined that municipal action plans should be not only responsive to present challenges but also future-ready, including advance identification of urban sites for processing increasing volumes of MSW and C&D waste.

Meeting Attendees

The meeting was attended by Chairman (CAQM), Secretary (MoRTH), senior officers of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, representatives of the Uttar Pradesh State Pollution Control Board (UPSPCB), along with the DM and Municipal Commissioner (Ghaziabad) and CEO (Noida Authority). (ANI)

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