To make the Cyber City pollution free, the Haryana Government has cleared a new action plan for Gurgaon and Faridabad. Under the plan, approved by the Union Environment Ministry, the Haryana Pollution Control Board will set up pollution monitoring equipment along with a lab in the two cities.
Among other steps, the HPCB, "will also put up boards at main crossings of the city, displaying the status of the air", said CV Singh, Regional Officer, HPCB.
It also plans to have a mobile laboratory for the city. "This mobile laboratory will have every latest equipment to check air pollution," Singh said. "We are ready to do our best to make Gurgaon a pollution free city," he added.
Though HPCB maintains that NOX level of 40 particle per millimeter (PPM) in Gurgaon air are well within the permissible limits. Yet the emission of dangerous gases like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide in Gurgaon air is assuming alarming proportions. This is largely due to rapid industrialisation, increasing population and growth in the number of vehicles.
However, HPCB sources admit the power shortage during the past few months and subsequent use of high power generators by industrial units and malls are responsible for the growing air pollution. On an average, every single mall in Gurgaon depends on six-hour daily power backup. The use of old generators without using pollution monitoring mechanism has added to the damage.
Early this year, the board had ordered industries and mall owners using high power (1000KV) generators to put up an air pollution-monitoring unit. It had also given them showcause notice for polluting the environment.
