Gurgaon: MCG, NHAI details steps taken to reduce pollution

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Tuesday submitted action taken reports on curbing air pollution in the city. The reports were submitted in accordance with measures recommended under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).

The reports followed a directive issued by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to the Gurgaon pollution department on October 30, asking it to take stock of action taken by city civic bodies to rein in runaway pollution levels. Since Diwali, the city’s air quality index (AQI) has continued to remain in the ‘severe’ category.

In its action taken report, the MCG stated that it had pressed four sweeping machines into service to take dust off the city’s roads and has imposed stiff fines on people found burning garbage in the open.

“After receiving numerous complaints of open waste burning from across the city, we imposed fines on 16 violators over the last one week,” Sudhir Chauhan, senior town planner (STP), MCG, said.

The NHAI, in its report, said it has cast green-coloured tarpaulin sheets at all its construction sites at Iffco Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and Signature Tower to prevent the spread of loose dust.

Read I Gurgaon air pollution ‘severe’ for the first time since Diwali

Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI, said, “After evaluating the situation (pollution), we have also deployed seven tankers to sprinkle water on the highly polluted arterial roads in the city.”

However, officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) said they are yet to receive action taken reports from the Haryana urban development authority (Huda) and the traffic police.

“Our teams are keeping a close watch on the air quality index to get a clear picture of the situation,” JB Sharma, regional officer, HSPCB, said.

On October 31, the HSPCB asked the MCG, Huda, traffic police and residents’ welfare associations to submit timely reports on action taken to reduce pollution.