‘2/3rd of city’s NCAP funding lying unused’

According to this report dated December 19, Delhi has thus far received ₹81.34 crore to take steps to tackle air pollution under the National Clean Air Program but managed to use ₹26 crore.

Delhi, which saw its AQI dip below 250 for the first time in 48 days on Wednesday, has ended up using less than a third of the funds allocated to by the Centre in its fight against noxious air, according to a status report of the Delhi government.

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that this year, the government will ensure that 100% utilisation of NCAP funds is carried out. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO)

According to this report dated December 19, Delhi has thus far received ₹81.34 crore to take steps to tackle air pollution under the National Clean Air Program but managed to use ₹26 crore.

The National Clean Air Program (NCAP) was launched in 2019 and it was the country’s first national plan to set clean air targets. The Delhi government said in the report that the Capital has so far seen a reduction of 10% in PM10 and 5% in PM2.5% with 2019 as the base level. The report, a copy of which has been seen by HT, was submitted during the review of Delhi’s action plan in a meeting chaired by Bhupendra Yadav, union environment minister.

To be sure, the amount is the cumulative allocation since 2019, and far below what the UT needs to combat its toxic air. This year, November saw 27 days when the air quality was either “very poor” or “severe” (between 300 and 400 AQI and above 400 respectively), and December has already seen 21 such days. A June report by the Delhi government put the requirement at around ₹4500 crore over the long-term.

NCAP was launched in January 2019 for 131 cities that consistently failed to meet national ambient air quality standards between 2011 and 2015. It initially aimed to reduce PM10 concentrations by 20-30% (from 2017 levels) by 2024. The deadline was later extended to 2026 with a target reduction of 40%. Delhi has submitted that, so far, it has managed to cut its PM10 levels by 10% and the PM2.5 levels by 5%--falling far short of the benchmark.

In many cases, the utilisation of the funds has been stuck due to bureaucratic procedures, delays in formation of committees and inability to raise more funds. A senior MCD official said on condition of anonymity that the corporation has already released the letter of intent for procurement of 14 additional Mechanical Road Sweepers which will be deployed soon. “The Central government sanctioned Rs. 33.74 crores to Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) under NCAP. MCD has already procured 28 water sprinklers which are under operation. The procurement of 14 Mechanical Road Sweeping Machines (MRSM) has already been started but it was delayed because the standing committee had not been formed.” 

In MCD, all projects costing more than ₹5 crore require the approval of the standing committee which was finally constituted in June after years of delay. “Projects could not be awarded due to non constitution of the panel in the last two years,” the MCD official cited above explained. By the time the committee was formed the old rates were no longer valid and bids had to be reinvited, he added.

The spokesperson for MCD did not respond to requests for comment.

A government official said that another ₹8.25 crore of NCAP funds were given to NDMC, but utilisation certificates have not been received.

The NDMC spokesperson did not respond to queries. But, an NDMC official said works worth ₹4 crore have been completed and the paperwork with payments may have been reflected as pendency.

A Delhi government official who asked not to be named said that one problem is that most projects require more money than alloted by NACP and agencies take time in getting this from other sources like Urban Development fund of central government.

Experts say that while NCAP funds serve as the initial kickstarter, the remaining share must come from other sources. In the June assessment, the Delhi government’s environment department and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) estimated that the national capital may require more than ₹4,500 crore in the long term: ₹3,600 crore for road redevelopment, ₹600 crore for deploying integrated water sprinklers, mechanical road sweepers, and anti-smog guns, ₹125 crore for converting 32 wood- and biomass-fuelled crematoriums to PNG, ₹257 crore for end-to-end paving of roads, and ₹55 crore for establishing EV charging stations.

Delhi environment minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said that this year, the government will ensure that 100% utilisation of NCAP funds is carried out. “The previous government had been lax in using the funds to help Delhi but we will ensure 100% utilisation. Several works have been planned using these funds including road redevelopment, greening of brown areas and water sprinkling and they are under tendering or work order award process.”

Sunil Dahiya, founder and lead analyst at the environmental think tank Envirocatalysts said that the NCAP funds are meant to be used as top-up amounts for undertaking projects to combat air pollution while the core funding occurs from other heads. “It can be used for scientific studies, pilot projects or top up for filling gaps--the projects which can not be done from other fund sources.”

Dahiya said that Delhi has been sluggish despite facing a massive crisis. “When a city faces an air pollution crisis like we do, every single penny should be used efficiently. While a lot more may be needed in the air pollution battle, using every available resource becomes critical and Delhi should use these funds,” he added.