Kolkata awarded by Centre for major drop in air pollution, CM lauds efforts
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Friday, announced that Kolkata has been recognised by the Centre as one of three major cities that have significantly reduced Particulate Matter (PM10) levels and improved the overall Air Quality Index (AQI).
Banerjee wrote on X: “Kolkata again shows the way! Govt. of India has awarded majorly three cities including Kolkata for significant reduction in Particulate Matter₁₀ levels and overall Air Quality Index improvement. Grateful to the people of Kolkata for their support. Let’s all — citizens and agencies alike — keep up the effort for a cleaner, greener city!”
It was learnt that the Centre issued a grant of Rs 21.02 crore to West Bengal in May for two cities, including Kolkata and Asansol, for significantly reducing air pollution. Kolkata received Rs 15.78 crore while Asansol received Rs 5.24 crore.
The highest grant allocation was received by Uttar Pradesh which is Rs 91.44 crore while Punjab received lowest allocation of Rs 1.54 crore. Twenty-one best-performing metropolitan cities/urban areas were identified across the states, with Uttar Pradesh having the highest number of cities (7), followed by Madhya Pradesh (3). The remaining states supported 1–2 cities each.
The funds are intended to further enhance air quality initiatives in these urban areas. The grant is part of the Fifteenth Finance Commission’s recommendations to support Million Plus Cities/Urban Agglomerations in improving air quality. The funds are to be utilized for initiatives that address ambient air quality issues, ensuring sustainable urban development and better living conditions for residents.
It was learnt that in 2019, Kolkata was identified as one of the top 10 most polluted cities by the National Clean Air Program (NCAP). There were targets given to each of the cities for air pollution reduction. The Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), Firhad Hakim, had last year stated that KMC has been able to achieve 75 per cent of the target given to Kolkata.
Many other polluted metro cities have failed to achieve even 25 per cent of the target that KMC has accomplished.
