Patna: Patna’s District Magistrate, Dr. Chandrashekhar Singh, convened a meeting today at the Collectorate to address the growing concern of ambient air pollution in the city. The meeting, attended by Municipal Commissioner, Deputy Development Commissioner, Civil Surgeon, and other officials, focused on devising a unified strategy to improve the city’s air quality.
Dr. Singh emphasized the urgent need to control air pollution in Patna and called for increased coordination among various departments, including Municipal Corporation, Transport, Traffic, Road Construction, Mining, and Agriculture. He stressed that all stakeholders must actively contribute to improving the Air Quality Index (AQI), with a “camp mode” approach to expedite action.
A key issue highlighted by the District Magistrate was the significant amount of dust in Gandhi Maidan and its surrounding areas, which is a major contributor to deteriorating air quality. To address this, Patna Municipal Corporation is already utilizing mechanical road sweepers to remove dust from main roads, and further efforts are being made with mist cannons and water sprinkler machines. Dr. Singh announced plans to acquire additional equipment, including two new sprinkler machines, one jetting machine, and one road sweeping machine, as part of ongoing efforts to curb pollution.
Construction activities were also identified as a major source of dust. Dr. Singh instructed construction agencies to ensure that work is conducted with a green cover to minimize dust emissions. Additionally, he issued directives to prevent construction materials from being left exposed on roads and banned the transportation of such materials in the open air.
To ensure compliance, the District Magistrate has tasked the Sub-Divisional Officer and Sub-Divisional Police Officer with monitoring and enforcing these measures. Dr. Singh reiterated the importance of taking both preventive and remedial actions to curb the rise of dust and particulate matter due to construction activities. The collaborative efforts of all concerned agencies will be crucial in improving Patna’s air quality in the coming months.
