In 2015, following the debut of a real-time ambient air quality monitor in Doranda, Ranchi, the Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board (JSPCB) had announced hi-tech surveillance in five capital locations, including its headquarters in Dhurwa.

A plan was sent to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) by December that year and the latter gave an immediate go-ahead, offering part-funding as well.

Sanjay Suman, member-secretary of JSPCB, insisted that heavy costs were behind the inordinate delay.

"National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is expected to install the monitors as part of its corporation social responsibility. Since each device will cost more than Rs 1 crore, the PSU isn't keen on five locations. It instead wants to set the monitors up in three places," he said.

Suman quickly added that he would have to refer to old files to find out the exact status of the project. "We had sent NTPC a list of areas. Last heard, the PSU was in the process of issuing tenders. We shall send it reminders."

Independent studies do not have good news for cities, Ranchi and Dhanbad in particular. A report released in February by voluntary organisation Greenpeace India puts the capital city and coal town in toxic air category.

Titled Airapocalypse: Assessment of Air Pollution in Indian Cities, the report was prepared on the basis of RTI information culled from different states.

While Delhi topped the list of 20 most polluted cities with a high PM 10 (particulate matter 10 micrometres or less in diameter) concentration of 268 µg/m³ (micrograms per cubic metre), Ranchi and Dhanbad'sJharia, Kusunda and Bastacola had PM 10 concentrations ranging from 200 µg/m³ to 258 µg/m³.

Studies were conducted in 10 places in Jharkhand, including Jamshedpur, West Singhbhum, Hazaribagh and Giridih, besides Ranchi and Dhanbad.

The assessment revealed air pollution levels here are higher than the annual average of 60 µg/m3 as prescribed under the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The major causes are coal mining, stone quarrying, vehicular pollution and dust raised by unpaved roads.

Dilly-dallying over crucial projects isn't new in Jharkhand. Yet, insiders said that JSPCB should pursue the project on priority basis because real-time data alone can help in implementation of corrective measures.

"The purpose of having monitors in various areas of Ranchi as well as Dhanbad is simple: they can be linked to Delhi. By studying the data, micro-level corrective steps can be taken to improve local air quality. Currently, the board is clueless about the quality of air in Ranchi," said an official not willing to be named.