Civic body yet to decide on how best to spend ₹45cr meant for tackling pollution and solid waste

The ₹45 crore is what is left of ₹121 crore that the municipal corporation received in fiscal 2020-21, from the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC), for air pollution abatement ( ₹60.5 crore) and solid waste improvement ( ₹60.5 crore) measures

Even as the city grapples with high levels of pollution, the Ghaziabad municipal corporation is sitting tight on funds to the tune ₹45 crore meant to combat air pollution and improve solid waste management. According to municipal officials, what is holding up the spending is that the committee, which decides on how to utilise the funds, is yet to meet.

Ghaziabad is among the 16 “non-attainment” cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh and its pollution levels generally remain on the higher side during the onset of winter. (Sakib Ali/ HT)

The ₹45 crore is what is left of ₹121 crore that the municipal corporation received in fiscal 2020-21, from the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FFC), for air pollution abatement ( ₹60.5 crore) and solid waste improvement ( ₹60.5 crore) measures.

In October, municipal officials said about 44% of the funds were utilised for tackling air pollution while 60% was spent on solid waste improvement.

“We still have about ₹45 crore pending from the FFC funds and there is no decision on its utilisation (this financial year). A committee comprising corporation and administration officials decides on utilisation, but the committee had not held a meeting so far. We will decide on the utilisation soon and some works such as improvement of parks and roads will be taken up,” said Nitin Gaur, municipal commissioner.

The FFC funds were meant for paving dusty road patches, development of more greenery in the city’s 200 parks, development of a city forest near the New Bus Adda Metro station, installation of 30 big air filters in major markets and commercial areas, and procurement of six anti-smog guns of 6,000 litre capacity, among others.

Officials said ₹15 crore have also been approved by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), of a total ₹129 crore, to take up dust abatement measures.

“The CAQM has agreed to provide us with ₹129 crore and ₹15 crore has already been approved, but we are yet to receive it. Once we get that, we will spend it on repairing dusty road patches in industrial areas. This will help in abating local sources of pollution,” Gaur said.

Environmentalists said details regarding the utilisation of funds for pollution abatement and solid waste management should be put in the public domain.

“The residents have a right to know about the manner in which the committee has decided on utilising funds and what all measures have been put in place for pollution abatement. The city has seen high levels of pollution for the past four to five years. If the funds are not utilised in time, then further allocation may get affected. It should also be inquired why the funds were not utilised,” said Akash Vashishtha, a city-based environmentalist.

Ghaziabad is among the 16 “non-attainment” cities in the state of Uttar Pradesh and its pollution levels generally remain on the higher side during the onset of winter. Cities are declared “non-attainment” if they do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for particulate matter (PM10) or nitrogen dioxide (NO2) over a period of five years.

“The funds could be utilised for installing more real-time air quality monitoring stations and for green paving of roads. The delay is utilisation indicates that officials are not interested in taking up pollution abatement measures on priority,” said Sushil Raghav, another city-based environmentalist.