Smog tower project in Faridabad a non-starter
Faridabad, February 20
The proposal of installing a smog tower in the city for tackling the menace of air pollution has failed to take off, despite being proposed about three years ago. This industrial hub remains one of the most polluted cities in the NCR and North India.
The authorities have no proposal in hand to develop any smog tower. It was aimed to be first-of-its-kind experiment in the state under the smart city project, say sources in the civic administration. Though the idea of having such a facility was considered and a survey report was submitted to the state government, it did not get the formal approval, it is said.
The budget was reported to be nearly Rs 20 crore at that time. The project was based on the pattern of a tower set up in Delhi, it was said. In a similar move, the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF) had also proposed six smog towers in the city according to the action plan prepared by ‘Ernst and Young’ , for the city under the grant scheme of 15th Finance Commission, say civic body officials. The six spots were identified as Sohna Chowk, Neelam Chowk, Badkhal, Hardware Chowk, Sector 29 Chowk and Sector-37 Bypass Road.
The WHO had regarded the city as the world’s second most polluted in 2018. It ranked 10th in the Swachh Survekshan Survey’s top 10 dirtiest cities in India in 2020. Faridabad has been selected as one of the 100 Indian cities to be developed as a Smart City under the Union Government flagship Smart Cities Mission. The AQI tends to cross 400 levels (hazardous) in winters resulting in unhealthy and polluting conditions. The particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) has been found above the prescribed national standards. Suspension of road dust, emission from vehicles, DG sets, construction activities, burning of domestic fossil fuels, open burning of solid wastes, transportation of construction materials in the open and emission from industrial units had been among the major factors affecting the air quality, it is claimed.
“With nothing being done, the department has no information about such a project in the city,” says Sandeep Singh, Regional Officer, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Faridabad. Garima Mittal, CEO, Faridabad Smart City Limited (FSCL) said there was no such proposal being considered at present.
