Lucknow: Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Saturday held a comprehensive review meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and senior state government officials in Lucknow to assess the progress of measures aimed at improving air quality in Delhi-NCR.
Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirtivardhan Singh, Uttar Pradesh Environment and Forest Minister Dr Arun Kumar, and State Transport Minister (Independent Charge) Dayashankar Singh were also present at the meeting.
During the meeting, Yadav stressed the need for accelerated implementation, stronger coordination among agencies and strict enforcement of pollution-control measures before the onset of the winter season.
“The window before the winter season must be fully utilized to implement pollution control measures in mission mode. Timely execution, effective coordination and strict enforcement will be critical to achieving visible improvements in Delhi-NCR’s air quality,” Yadav said.
Reviewing measures to control road dust, the Union Minister called for end-to-end paving and greening of roads using local species of shrubs and grasses during the monsoon period.
He also directed authorities to give priority to identifying and repairing potholes, constructing footpaths and pavements, undertaking roadside greening and carrying out deep cleaning of roads.
Yadav asked officials to bridge gaps in the deployment of Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines (MRSMs) at the earliest. He also suggested geo-tagging all MRSMs to enable real-time monitoring of road-cleaning operations and improve accountability.
Push for electric mobility
The meeting also reviewed the status of electric mobility in Uttar Pradesh’s NCR region. Yadav called for faster deployment of electric buses and installation of EV charging stations across NCR municipal corporations in Uttar Pradesh. He noted that significant gaps remain in the existing electric bus fleet.
The Minister also congratulated the Uttar Pradesh government for the rapid increase in tree-covered areas across the state.
On End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles, Yadav asked authorities to expedite the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the transfer of eligible vehicles outside the NCR.
At the same time, he called for scientific scrapping of old and unfit vehicles and faster replacement of polluting vehicles with electric vehicles under the Parivartan Scheme.
For stricter implementation of the “No PUCC, No Fuel” initiative, the Minister asked authorities to install Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems at all fuel stations.
He also directed officials to identify traffic congestion hotspots on a mission-mode basis and implement measures to address them.
The Minister Yadav also reviewed industrial pollution-control measures and emphasized the need to accelerate installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) at industrial units.
The meeting also examined the management of Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste. The Minister called for faster establishment of Secondary Collection Centres for C&D waste.
On Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and biomass burning, he stressed that the liquidation of legacy waste should be undertaken on a war footing.
Stubble burning and crop residue management
The Union Minister also reviewed measures to address stubble burning and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to bridge gaps in the availability and procurement of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery.
He emphasized the need for intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns and farmer training programmes to encourage the effective use of CRM equipment and reduce crop-residue burning.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath welcomed the measures being taken by the Union government to curb air pollution in Delhi-NCR and directed state officials to take timely action on the measures discussed during the meeting.
He also thanked the Union Minister for organising the review meeting and providing guidance on tackling air pollution.
Call for ‘Whole of Government’ and ‘Whole of Society’ approach
Union Minister underlined the importance of coordinated institutional action and public participation in tackling air pollution.
He said the problem can be addressed effectively only through a “Whole of Government” and “Whole of Society” approach, stressing strict implementation of government advisories and greater public participation.
The Minister also called for increasing the number of sanitation workers in proportion to population and said that controlling air pollution would require adherence to rules, wider use of technology and innovation.
He urged citizens to join hands with authorities and play an active role in efforts to combat air pollution across the Delhi-NCR region.
The Minister directed all State Government officials to take timely action on different measures discussed during the meeting. He further thanked the Union Minister for organizing this review meeting and his valuable guidance in this matter.
