Lucknow, Sep 3 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary S P Goyal on Thursday directed officials to ensure time-bound and result-oriented measures to prevent and control air pollution in the National Capital Region, including speeding up road dust-control measures, stubble management and the transition to electric buses.
Chairing a review meeting with officials of NCR districts and departments, Goyal directed that all measures related to air pollution control be accorded the highest priority and implemented effectively within stipulated timelines, according to an official statement.
He asked departments to regularly monitor their action plans for preventing and controlling pollution in the NCR and ensure their effective implementation within the prescribed
deadlines, the statement said.
Goyal directed the municipal corporations of Ghaziabad and Meerut and the Noida and Greater Noida industrial development authorities to mandatorily upload accurate, complete and updated data on the Pawan portal along with their monthly progress reports by the third of every month.
The departments concerned have also been directed to send their monthly progress reports to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board by the fifth of every month, according to the statement.
The chief secretary directed officials to ensure mandatory co-firing of five per cent biomass pellets at thermal power plants in the state and regularly review road redevelopment works to ensure progress against targets.
He also directed officials to expedite tendering for mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSMs) in cases where tenders have not yet been issued and ensure work orders are released without delay. All MRSMs deployed for road redevelopment and road-dust control must have GPS-based live tracking and be integrated with Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), he said.
Goyal directed officials to launch an intensive cleaning drive in all NCR cities from September 15 after the monsoon. He also ordered a post-monsoon campaign to make roads pothole-free, with repairs and restoration of damaged roads and footpaths to be taken up on priority.
The chief secretary stressed the need for timely and effective management of paddy straw, directing officials to complete preparations on time and ensure that farmers effectively use alternative and scientific methods made available for stubble management, the statement said.
He also directed officials to speed up the procurement of electric city buses and the development of EV charging stations and charging points in the NCR to reduce air pollution.
Goyal reviewed action against end-of-life (EOL) vehicles and directed officials to accelerate the identification and seizure of such vehicles.
He further directed officials to continuously monitor and regularly review all measures aimed at improving air quality in the NCR and ensure inter-departmental coordination so that pollution-control efforts produce sustainable results, according to the statement. PTI KIS SHS SHS
