Make action plan to improve AQI in districts high on pollution: UP chief secretary to DMs
Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has directed officials to improve air quality in districts with high pollution levels by implementing an action plan and enforcing rules. He also asked officials to address the issue of stray cattle and complete verification of Ujjawla beneficiaries. Additionally, Mishra expressed concern over road accidents and urged officials to hold monthly meetings to discuss ways to prevent mishaps.
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Chief secretary Durga Shankar Mishra on Wednesday directed officials to take effective steps to improve air quality in the districts that were high on the air pollution by chalking out and implementing an action plan.
Holding a meeting through video conference with divisional commissioners and DMs here, he laid emphasis on the need for keeping a special vigil on the districts that were more sensitive from the air quality point of view.
“Apart from using available resources including air smog guns, water sprinklers etc, also ensure that rules to check air pollution are also enforced,” Mishra told officials suggesting that officials could share their strategies among themselves.
He also said desired action against stubble burning should continue.
Moving to the stray cattle issue, the CS asked officials to ensure that no destitute cattle were seen roaming on roads after the two-months drive to catch them ended on December 31. He said additional municipal commissioner or executive officer in cities and SDMs in rural areas should be appointed nodal officer for this work.
“Commissioners, DMs and CDOs should intensively monitor the drive launched on November 1 to catch stray cattle and safely put them in the cow protection centres,” Mishra said. “Identify hot spots and act accordingly,” he told officials.
The CS said senior government officers appointed nodal officers would visit districts allotted to them to monitor the drive between November 7 and 9.
He further asked officials to complete verification of all Ujjawla beneficiaries who were to get free LPG cylinders before Diwali. He noted that only 54 lakh of the 1.75 crore beneficiaries’ Aadhar data was complete so far.
Expressing concern over an increasing number of road accidents in the state, he asked officials to hold the Districts Road Safety Committee meetings every month to consider ways to curb mishaps. He also asked them to ensure 100% verification of school vehicles by the transport department and that of drivers by the police.
