The Aryavarth Express
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav on Monday chaired a high-level meeting to review the city-specific action plans of Ghaziabad and Noida aimed at curbing air pollution.
This marked the first in a series of reviews of National Capital Region (NCR) cities, which will later culminate in a state-level assessment. The review was conducted in a prescribed format, as directed by the Minister during an earlier meeting on December 3, with a focus on strengthening on-ground implementation.
According to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, senior officials from both cities made detailed presentations outlining measures taken so far. The action plans were assessed on multiple parameters, including the adoption of smart traffic management systems to reduce vehicular emissions; compliance of industrial units with pollution norms; expansion of commercial electric vehicle fleets and charging infrastructure; and strengthening of public transport and parking facilities.
The review also covered infrastructure development for construction and demolition waste, municipal solid waste and legacy waste management; road paving and tiling to control dust; deployment of mechanical road sweeping machines; use of anti-smog guns and water sprinklers; greening of open spaces and pathways; and public participation initiatives such as awareness campaigns and app-based grievance redressal systems.
The Minister took stock of progress from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) on the installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) in remaining industrial units. He directed strict compliance with the December 31 deadline and called for stringent action against non-compliant units. CPCB and State Pollution Control Boards were also instructed to intensify inspections of polluting industries in peri-urban areas.
Bhupender Yadav urged the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to further refine parameters used for implementing city action plans and to consolidate them for an overall NCR-wide review. He also stressed the need to upgrade National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) benchmarks to enable rational allocation of funds to better-performing cities.
Emphasising public participation, the Minister highlighted the importance of involving elected representatives and citizens in implementation and greening efforts to make pollution control a true “Jan Bhagidari” movement. He suggested municipal bodies collaborate with Forest Departments to plant indigenous, heat-resistant and low-water species, and called for integrated waste management plans through coordinated inter-agency efforts.
Additionally, Yadav proposed a study to identify major traffic corridors in Delhi-NCR and ensure end-to-end public transport on these routes. He underlined that city action plans must be future-ready, including advance planning for sites to manage rising volumes of municipal solid and construction waste.
The meeting was attended by the CAQM Chairman, Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, senior officials from the Environment Ministry, representatives of the Uttar Pradesh State Pollution Control Board, and senior district and municipal officials from Ghaziabad and Noida.
