G B Nagar/Ghaziabad: As the Air Quality Index (AQI) levels in Delhi-NCR region shoot up beyond the 'severe' mark, the administration of both Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts have issued directions to all departments to continue taking steps for dust control to curb alarming pollution levels.
As per senior officials of district administration, the EPCA has directed heads of all the departments to continue taking steps for dust control across the city. "EPCA has asked the administration to ensure mechanical sweeping in shifts throughout the day and night. The administration has also imposed a total ban on DG and in specific cases the administration will bring into EPCA's attention," said district administration officials.
Taking cognizance into the matter, UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, took a review meeting with officials through video conferencing to control pollution measures in NCR region on Friday.
While the administration and authorities claim to be taking dust control measures, many areas in Noida and Greater Noida continue to be polluted. Residents complain of several stretches that still have mounds of dust along the sides of roads and that complaints made have not been addressed in over four months:
"Even after the ban put by EPCA on all types of construction work in the city, the road near Kisan Chowk in Greater Noida West is still under construction. This is leading to heavy air pollution in the area. Apart from this, the road in the area still have mounds of dust along the sides of roads and we have made complaints from past four or five months but they have not been addressed yet," said Mrityunjay Singh, a resident of Greater Noida West.
According to the Air Quality Index, the Ghaziabad district continued to be in severe category for the fourth consecutive day — recording the highest AQI in the country with all its four monitoring stations recording AQI above 494. Also in Gautam Buddh Nagar district, one of the prime locality — sector 62 area recorded AQI crossing way beyond the severe category with AQI shooting up to 882 on Friday.