Parliament Question: Measures to Curb Air Pollution in Chandrapur

OIH GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3656 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10.08.2026 Measures to Curb Air Pollution in Chandrapur 3656. SMT. DHANORKAR PRATIBHA SURESH Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware of air quality in Chandrapur, Maharashtra city which has been recorded in the 'moderate to polluted' category for 26 out of 30 days in the month of April due to which the respiratory diseases are increasing among the Citizens; (b) the details of concrete steps taken by the Government and the quantum of funds sanctioned by the Union Government so far for improving the quality of Chandrapur city under the National Clean Air Programme; (c) the details of strict actions being taken by the Government to make it mandatory for local thermal power plants and other industries in Chandrapur to install state-of-the-art pollution control technology; (d) whether the Union Government proposes to appoint a special environmental task force to monitor quality in real-time and reduce the concentration of particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) in coal mines and industrial corridor areas; and (e) if so, the details thereof? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI KIRTI VARDHAN SINGH) (a) to (e): Air quality of Chandrapur city was recorded as Good during April 2026, comprising 03 Satisfactory days (AQI: 51-100) and 27 Moderate days (AQI: 101-200). To provide better air quality in urban areas, the Government has launched the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) as a long-term, time-bound, national level strategy to address air pollution in 130 Non-Attainment and million plus cities/urban agglomerations including Chandrapur. Emission Inventory and Source Apportionment Study for Chandrapur has been conducted by IIT Bombay and NEERI for identification of key sources of pollution. City Action Plan for Chandrapur City has been prepared for prioritization of various air pollution reduction measures to address various sources of air pollution such as road dust, solid waste management, vehicular emissions, construction activities and industrial pollution. Air quality performance linked grant of ₹ 18.25 crore has been released to Chandrapur city during FY 2019-20 till 2025-26 to implement air quality improvement measures as part of City action plan.NCAP is implemented and monitored through three tier institutional structure by involving Central, State and city level Departments and stakeholders. This is backed by regular review and monitoring by Committees at various levels including DISHA Committee. Comprehensive Environment Pollution Index (CEPI) for industrial areas is monitored by CPCB. During 2018, the CEPI score of Chandrapur Industrial area was 76.41 and categorized as Critically Polluted Area (CPA). During 2020, the Action Plan was prepared and submitted by Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for improvement of environmental quality in Chandrapur Industrial area. Further, CPCB developed CEPI Action Plan Review portal for monitoring the progress of Action plan of CPA and SPA area. As reported by the MPCB on the said portal, the CEPI score of Chandrapur Industrial Area was 60.72 during the July, 2025 (Pre-monsoon period) and has moved from Critically Polluted Area to Severely Polluted Area. In addition, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified “Standards for Emission or Discharge of Environmental Pollutants from various Industries” under Schedule-I of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986 including Thermal Power Plants. The general standards as notified under Schedule-VI of the Environment Protection Rules, 1986 are applicable where specific standards are not available for the industrial sectors. For strengthening real time monitoring and effective compliance through self-regulatory mechanism, CPCB directed 17 categories of highly polluting industries to install Online Continuous Emission Monitoring System (OCEMS). As per the Environment Impact Assessment Notification 2006, all new projects or activities listed in the Schedule to the notification as well as the Expansion, modernisation or any change in the product mix or raw material mix in existing projects or activities including Thermal Power Plants and Coal mines, listed in the Schedule to the notification, resulting in capacity beyond the threshold limits specified for the concerned sector in the schedule are required to obtain prior Environmental Clearance (EC). The process of grant of EC, inter alia, involves preparation of a comprehensive Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Report as well as Environmental Management Plan addressing the environmental concerns related to the project inter-alia provide for appropriate mitigation measures including installation of pollution control devices. Further, Consent to Operate issued by State Pollution Control Board/Pollution Control Committee prescribes for implementation of pollution control measures including installing appropriate pollution control equipment. ***