Where clean air funds allotted to states went: Drains, fountains, roads

According to an Environment Ministry submission in the NGT last month, 19 cities flagged by the tribunal for their deteriorating air quality received  Rs 1,644.40 crore in this period. But records show that a number of states underutilised the funds and some of them spent a notable chunk on projects whose connection to air pollution may not seem readily apparent — a point brought up by the tribunal itself.

The NGT, in November 2023, had flagged the deteriorating air quality of 53 towns and cities, including the 19 mentioned above. It told the respective states to take “remedial measures” and submit details of how they utilised the funds they received under the NCAP and 15th FC.

A month later, the tribunal noted that the states which had filed the reports until then had not fully utilised the funds and that “only few states have used it for setting up AQI monitoring stations”. It said: “In some states, we have found that the funds have been utilised under the heads which may not have direct connection with improving air quality. In fact, funds are required to be utilised as per the approved action plan….”

So far, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Meghalaya and Delhi have submitted their reports to the green tribunal.

Here is an overview of how the funds were utilised in various cities:

Jharkhand’s report on activities in Dhanbad, submitted last month, included the construction of four playgrounds (allotment of Rs 9.37 crore, Rs 5.1 crore spent so far) including a football ground. It also included the purchase of a “desludging machine” for Rs 3.03 crore. The largest chunk of expenditure, Rs 17.27 crore, was for “end-to-end pavement”, followed by Rs 9.12 crore for bituminous roads and Rs 7.37 crore to set up 10 air quality monitoring systems.

The Bihar government, too, submitted its report on Patna to the NGT last month. It said funds from the 15th FC (`184.58 crore spent) were used for activities including “construction of roads and underground drain work”, “desilting of drains”, renovation of old parks, procurement of CNG buses, purchase of water sprinklers and sweeping machines, and establishment of an electric crematorium. Of NCAP funds, Rs 9.68 crore was spent on activities including the establishment of a vermicompost unit, awareness through radio jingles and “development of parks”.

Delhi is in the process of spending its NCAP funds on 14 mechanical road sweepers, 28 anti-smog guns, two pothole repair machines, “creation of green buffers along traffic corridors”, “end-to-end paving”, and construction and demolition waste management.

Faridabad’s funds have been spent on end-to-end paving of roads, “regular collection, segregation and scientific disposal of waste”, water-sprinkling machines and urban greening with vertical gardens. Of the `19.28 crore received in 2023-24, the biggest share, `8.4 crore, went towards paving and black-topping roads.

In Bhopal, funds have been used for road-sweeping machines, CNG vehicles for waste collection, “construction of 110 water fountains for controlling road dust”, a plant to dispose of dead animals, an “ultramodern garbage transfer station” and paving of roads. Of the Rs 36 crore approved for 2023-24 under the 15th FC, the largest allocation of Rs 20 crore is for collection, segregation and disposal of waste.

In Punjab, funds for Ludhiana were spent on road-sweeping machines, anti-smog guns, new roads and widening of roads. Here, roads received the largest chunk (Rs 46.20 crore) out of the 15th FC funds of `67.71 crore spent till January this year. In Amritsar, too, the largest share of the 15th Finance Commission funds (Rs 21.93 crore out of a total expenditure of Rs 63.87 crore) went towards paving roads.

Maharashtra spent Rs 5.85 crore of NCAP funds on tree plantation, “beautification of open space”, public awareness and “work on an internal road” in Navi Mumbai. It has utilised 28 per cent of the Rs 58.75 crore 15th FC funds for the city on electric buses, dust suppression vehicles with sprayers and one PNG furnace.

Rajasthan, meanwhile, told the NGT last month that it utilised NCAP funds to set up six air quality monitoring stations in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota, and two mobile monitoring stations.

NCAP was launched in January 2019 with an initial target of reducing PM10 and PM2.5 levels by 20 to 30 per cent by 2024 compared to 2017 levels. Later, the target was revised to reducing particulate matter by 40 per cent or achieving national ambient air quality standards by 2025-26.

A total of 131 cities receive funds under NCAP or grants sanctioned by the 15th FC for air quality improvement. Of these, 42 are “million-plus cities” that receive 15th FC grants for “augmenting infrastructure and other essential measures at city level to improve air quality”.

The funding is performance-based and meant for activities included in action plans prepared for the cities.

An NCAP strategy document prepared by the Environment Ministry in 2019 recommends a number of actions to mitigate air pollution — plantation, mechanical sweepers, water sprinkling along roads, greening, landscaping and wall-to-wall paving of roads, phasing out older coal-based power plants, introducing fountains at major traffic intersections where feasible, ensuring power supply to eliminate use of diesel generators, enforcement of pollution norms in industries, measures connected to electric vehicles, and measures for dealing with waste including construction and demolition waste. It also includes extending source apportionment studies to all cities, augmenting the air quality monitoring network, and air quality forecasting systems.

Operational guidelines issued by the Department of Expenditure on the implementation of the air quality component of the 15th FC say that the city’s performance will be assessed on strengthening pollution monitoring mechanisms, source-wise cause analysis for air pollution, progress on action plans and quantification of air quality improvement. Environment Ministry guidelines on NCAP funds also mention the same four parameters and recommend sector-wise activities like promoting use of cleaner fuels, augmenting public transport, and dust and waste management.

In its most recent order, on February 19, the NGT that the states’ reports indicate that action plans are implemented without studying pollution sources and told them to disclose these. It said the Environment Ministry “needs to ensure that assets created by expending such amounts are properly utilised”.