Kolkata: As many as 110 municipalities and all the municipal corporations across the state have been brought under the Green City Mission and air quality monitoring system has also been installed at 58 municipality areas, state Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim said in the Assembly.
During a question-answer session, Hakim informed the House how his department has taken up a sustained mechanism under the Green City Mission to preserve the environment and reduce the carbon emission rate in various municipality areas.
"We have taken a pledge to seriously deal with the carbon emission issue. Carbon emitted by the vehicles majorly contributes to air pollution in various cities. Keeping this in mind, steps have been taken to sprinkle water to combat the situation, particularly during the rush hours. We have installed an air quality monitoring system at the polluted areas. The state government has also started erecting solar panels on the rooftop of various government buildings giving emphasis on renewable energy," Hakim said.
The Mayor further pointed out that following the instruction of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, 'Prakriti Tirtha' has been set up on 480 acres of land in Rajarhat to increase the green cover. To reduce the rate of carbon emission, LED lights are being installed in all the municipality areas.
The minister also said that the state government stayed out of the Centre's Smart City project as it did not include the important cities except Durgapur, Salt Lake and some parts of Kolkata.
The Mamata Banerjee government had, therefore, announced the Green City Mission so that a comprehensive development can be done in all the major cities and townships across the state.
An emphasis has also been given to solid waste management. Segregations at the source are now being conducted at various municipal areas to check the environmental hazards before they are dumped at the dumping grounds.
A solid waste management system will be set up at Berhampore in Murshidabad for which Rs 2.30 crore has been given to the district administration.
Taking a dig at an Opposition MLA, Hakim said: "We have stopped filling up of ponds. During the erstwhile Left Front government, as many as 3,000 ponds were filled up in the city and surrounding areas. Around 330 such areas have been identified. Housing complexes have been set up. How can we demolish the buildings as it would render many people homeless. However, in six cases we have taken action and demolished the illegal constructions. We are committed to present a better environment for our future generation."