No key PM2.5 reduction targets in Noida’s air pollution action plan in contrast to Ghaziabad, Greater Noida
While Greater Noida and Ghaziabad have set PM2.5 reduction targets and committed to expanding air monitoring stations, Noida’s action plan does not specify any such targets.
4 min readGreater Noida/ New DelhiUpdated: Feb 10, 2026 10:29 AM IST
After the CAQM on Sunday made available the State Action Plan 2026 for the NCR, Noida’s action plan seems to have fallen short of outlining key measurable pollution targets. (Express file photo/Praveen Khanna)
After the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on Sunday made available the State Action Plan 2026 for the National Capital Region (NCR), Noida’s action plan seems to have fallen short of outlining key measurable pollution targets.
While Greater Noida and Ghaziabad have set PM2.5 reduction targets and committed to expanding air monitoring stations, Noida’s action plan does not specify any such targets.
Greater Noida’s plan sets its annual average PM2.5 concentration at 73 µg/m³ in 2025 and aims to bring it down to 60 µg/m³ by 2026, with National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) compliance targeted by July 2027. The city also aims to bring its average Air Quality Index (AQI) down to 100 by the end of 2026, a reduction of 31 per cent compared to 2025 levels. Noida’s plan, in contrast, lists PM2.5 levels for previous years but does not specify any reduction target for this year.
The gap between the plans extends beyond pollution targets to transport and infrastructure planning. Greater Noida’s action plan includes quarterly targets for expanding EV charging infrastructure, and battery swapping stations. Both Noida and Greater Noida’s plans make no provision for a currently operating electric bus fleet, nor do they propose introducing one, even as Delhi runs a fleet of over 4,000 electric buses.
Monitoring infrastructure also differs sharply. Greater Noida has acknowledged a shortfall in air quality monitoring and committed to increasing its Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS) from two to four by June 2026. Noida, despite having a larger road network of over 1,143 km compared to Greater Noida’s 875 km, states that its existing four CAAQMS and four manual stations are sufficient and proposes no expansion.
On road dust, a major contributor to particulate pollution, Greater Noida’s plan lays out that of its 875 km road network, 612 km are in good condition, while 263 km are classified as poor and in need of redevelopment. Repairing these stretches, the plan estimates, would require an investment of Rs. 993 crore which would translate to roughly Rs 3.77 crore per kilometre.
Noida’s action plan, by contrast, states that 176 km of roads need repair, for which it has pegged the cost at Rs 370 crore. This works out to about Rs 2.1 crore per kilometre, highlighting a significant difference in the projected per-kilometre cost of road repairs between two neighbouring territories.
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The plan has also drawn criticism for failing to address garbage burning. Activist Amit Gupta, who has written to CAQM and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) seeking a revision of the city’s plan, told The Indian Express that RTI data shows around 1,400 incidents of garbage burning have been reported in Noida and Greater Noida over the past two years.
“Yet the action plan contains no detailed strategy, roadmap, or monitoring mechanism to prevent garbage burning. This omission is particularly serious given its direct contribution to PM2.5 levels,” he said. He also flagged the lack of transparency in the utilisation of the Rs 56 crore allocated to Noida under the National Clean Air Programme.
Noida Authority officials told The Indian Express, “We only propose targets and measures to CAQM. The final approval and release of the action plan rests with CAQM.”
Ghaziabad, which was the most polluted city in January according to an analysis by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), has set an aim of reducing PM10 levels by 20 per cent and PM2.5 levels by 14 per cent. It has identified road dust as a major contributor and mapped over 460 km of roads requiring redevelopment to reduce dust resuspension.
The plan quantifies gaps in mechanical road sweepers, anti-smog guns, and handheld vacuum units, citing a lack of funds. It has also recognised repeated road digging by utility agencies as a pollution source. The plan further quantifies the city’s public transport deficit — it has about 50 buses against a projected requirement of over 1,100, which is targeted to be reached by 2030. In the coming months, Ghaziabad aims to increase CAAQM stations from three to five.
Saman Husain is a Correspondent at The Indian Express. Based in New Delhi, she is an emerging voice in political journalism, reporting on civic governance, elections, migration, and the social consequences of policy, with a focus on ground-reporting across Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh.
Professional Profile
Education:
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science (Honours) from Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi, and is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), Chennai.
Core Beats:
Her reporting focuses on the national capital’s governance and politics. She specializes in Delhi’s civic administration and the city units of the BJP, AAP and Congress. In western Uttar Pradesh, she mostly reports on crime.
Specialization:
She has a keen interest in electoral processes and politics — her recent contributions include work on electoral roll revisions.
Recent Notable Articles (since July 2025)
Her recent work reflects a strong show-not-tell approach to storytelling, combining narrative reporting with political and historical context:
1. Politics:
“On the banks of the Yamuna, a political tussle for Purvanchali support” (October 6): A report on how migration histories shaped electoral strategies in Delhi before the Bihar elections.
“Explained: How Delhi’s natural drainage vanished gradually over the centuries” (September 29): An explanatory piece tracing the historical reasons that eventually led to the erosion of Delhi’s rivers and its impact on perrenial flooding.
2. Longforms
“Four weddings, three funerals: How a Uttar Pradesh man swindled insurance companies” (October 7): A long-read reconstructing a chilling fraud by a man who killed three of his family members, including both his parents for insurance proceeds. His fourth wife discovered his fraud…
“How Ghaziabad conman operated fake embassy of a country that doesn’t exist — for 9 years” (July 27) : A story on bizarre fraud operation and the institutional blind spots that enabled it.
3. Crime and Justice:
“He was 8 when his father was killed. Fifteen years later, in UP’s Shamli, he took revenge” (October 18): A deeply reported crime story tracing cycles of violence, memory and justice in rural Uttar Pradesh.
“Who killed 19 girls in Nithari? With the SC rejecting appeals, there are no answers and no closure” (July 31): A report capturing the long legal and emotional aftermath of one of India’s most chilling unsolved criminal cases.
4. Policy Impact
“At Manthan, over US tariffs, Delhi-NCR’s apparel industry brainstorms solutions” (September 8) and “Trump’s 50% tariff begins to bite: Agra’s leather belt feels the impact” (August 13) : Reports documenting how global trade decisions ripple through local industries, workers and exporters.
Signature Style
Saman is recognized for her grassroots storytelling. Her articles often focus on the "people behind the policy". She is particularly skilled at taking mundane administrative processes and turning them into compelling human narratives.
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