Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Shri Bhupender Yadav, today held a comprehensive review meeting with the Chief Minister of Haryana, Shri Nayab Singh Saini, and senior officials of the State Government to assess the progress of ongoing measures aimed at improving air quality in Delhi-NCR. During the meeting, the Minister emphasized the need for accelerated implementation, stronger inter-agency coordination and strict enforcement to ensure substantial reduction in pollution levels before the onset of the winter season. Haryana Minister for Environment and Forest, Shri Rao Narbir Singh, was also present during the meeting.

Emphasizing the urgency of timely action, Shri Bhupender Yadav said, "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."

Reviewing measures to curb Road Dust, the Minister requested that end-to-end paving and greening of roads with local species shrubs/grasses during monsoons be undertaken on priority, with focused attention on pothole identification and repair, construction of footpaths and pavements, roadside greening and deep cleaning of roads. 

Shri Yadav requested that all gaps in the deployment of Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines (MRSMs) be bridged by September this year. He further suggested that all MRSMs be geo-tagged to facilitate real-time monitoring of road-cleaning operations and improve accountability.

Reviewing the status of Electric Mobility, the Minister stressed that deployment of electric buses across the NCR municipal corporations in Haryana should be expedited, noting significant gaps in the existing fleet. He congratulated the Haryana Government for the rapid installation of EV charging stations across the seven municipal corporation areas under review.

On the issue of End-of-Life (EoL) vehicles, Shri Yadav requested the authorities to expedite issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for transfer of eligible EoL vehicles outside the NCR, while simultaneously encouraging scientific scrapping of old and unfit vehicles. He also called for faster replacement of old polluting vehicles with electric vehicles under the Parivartan Scheme.

The Minister requested that Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras be installed at all fuel stations for effective implementation of the "No PUCC, No Fuel" initiative. Stressing the need to improve urban traffic management, Shri Yadav asked the authorities to identify Traffic Congestion Hotspots on a mission mode and implement suitable mitigation measures at the earliest. 

Reviewing Industrial Pollution control measures, Shri Yadav stressed the need for accelerated installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (OCEMS) and Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) across industrial units. 

The Minister reviewed progress on Construction And Demolition Waste management and requested that establishment of Secondary Collection Centres for C&D waste be expedited. He also stressed that liquidation of Legacy Waste should be undertaken on a war footing. Referring to municipal solid waste (MSW) and Biomass Burning, Shri Yadav called for the constitution of dedicated task forces and emphasized achieving 100 per cent collection of municipal solid waste and biomass to eliminate littering and prevent open burning.

On Stubble Burning, Shri Yadav requested the State Government to bridge gaps in procurement of Crop Residue Management (CRM) machinery and accelerate establishment of Custom Hiring Centres. He emphasized the need for intensive Information, Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns and farmer training programmes to promote effective use of CRM equipment. The Minister suggested that local elected representatives identify stubble-burning hotspots in coordination with Gram Panchayats. He further requested District Collectors to survey industrial units and document their crop residue storage and consumption capacities to facilitate efficient demand-supply management. The State authorities were also advised to ensure adequate availability of crop residue balers.

Underscoring the importance of public participation and coordinated institutional action, Shri Yadav said, "Air pollution can be effectively tackled only through a 'Whole of Government' and 'Whole of Society' approach". Chief Minister (Haryana), Shri Saini, directed State Government officials for timely action on different measures discussed during the meeting. He thanked the Union Minister for his valuable guidance in this matter.

The meeting was attended by the Secretary, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change; Chairperson, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM); senior officers of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the Government of Haryana. Senior officials from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) were also present.

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VM

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