Lucknow, June 3: The Uttar Pradesh government has stepped up efforts to tackle worsening air pollution in the National Capital Region (NCR), unveiling a series of measures ranging from scrapping old vehicles and strengthening industrial monitoring to mechanised road cleaning and improved waste management.
As part of the strategy, a "No Pollution Under Control (PUC) Certificate, No Fuel" policy will be enforced at all 1,041 petrol pumps across the state's NCR districts from October 1.
The decision was reviewed at a high-level meeting on air pollution control and air quality improvement chaired by Chief Secretary S.P. Goyal. The state has set a target of reducing air pollution levels in the NCR region by 30 to 35 per cent this year and directed all departments to ensure coordinated and time-bound action.
Digital monitoring and vehicle scrappage drive
The Chief Secretary emphasised the need for an integrated digital monitoring network comprising portals, mobile applications, GPS-based tracking systems and dashboards to monitor pollution-control activities in real time.
Officials informed the meeting that 2.619 million overage vehicles have been identified across NCR districts. Between January and April this year, 37,156 vehicles were scrapped, while 460 were seized for violating regulations.
To promote cleaner public transport, the government has set a target of operating 975 electric buses in Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut. At present, 100 e-buses are in service.
Air quality and industrial pollution measures
Efforts to strengthen air quality monitoring are also underway. A total of 43 air quality monitoring stations are planned in the NCR region. Of these, 25 are already operational, while the remaining 18 are expected to be installed by October.
Under industrial pollution control measures, 725 polluting industries have been identified. Continuous online emission monitoring systems have been installed in 613 units and linked to the Central Pollution Control Board's servers for real-time monitoring.
To curb road dust, authorities have proposed the redevelopment of 1,792 kilometres of roads across Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and Meerut at an estimated cost of around Rs 3,666 crore. So far, redevelopment work on 143.8 kilometres has been completed.
Mechanised road cleaning is also being expanded. While 108 machines are required, only 45 are currently available. The procurement process for 50 additional machines is underway.
Waste management and clean air initiatives
For construction and demolition waste management, 37 secondary collection centres are planned, of which 29 have already become operational. The government is also developing a monitoring system based on GPS tracking, geo-tagging and integrated command and control centres to keep a close watch on construction sites.
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The state's broader clean air action plan also includes plantation drives, crop residue management, establishment of compressed biogas plants, expansion of EV charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, extension of Metro and Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) networks, and strengthening last-mile connectivity.
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