CHANDIGARH: The environment department has given the UT adviser an action plan against air pollution . After approval, it will go to the central pollution control board, which had asked for it by December 31.Before setting the new deadline, the board had asked the UT administration for long-term and short-term plans. Since the National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders on air pollution, the board has formed a committee to monitor what the states and the UTs have done to reduce pollution. The UT's action plan talks of starting continuous ambient air quality monitoring station (CAAQMS) for real-time reading based on eight parameters. Presently, the UT collects the data manually and sends it to the central pollution control board after 24 hours.The UT environment department has proposed to wash all major roads and pavements once a week with tertiary treated water to settle the atmospheric dust. It also proposes to install tertiary-water-fed fountains on all major roundabouts, hoping that the ambient mist will settle the hanging particles of dust. Already, Chandigarh has stopped registering vehicles older than 15 years and the committee had suggested not even letting these into the city. The department has even proposed to promote battery-operated vehicles, increase green cover, and take strict action against the polluting factories and vehicles.By 2024, the centre targets reducing air pollution by up to 30% in 102 cities, including Chandigarh. The target is part of the environment ministry's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).

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