Ghaziabad: Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation has sought Rs 900 crore from the finance ministry under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) for pollution-control measures in 2026-27. A major part of the proposal involves laying interlocking tiles along roadsides to reduce dust pollution across the city’s 2,774km road network. Officials said the city’s average AQI has improved from 227 in 2021 to 176 in 2025, with a target of bringing it down to 163 next year.Additionally, GMC is also taking measures to encourage residents to switch to electric vehicles to check vehicular pollution. The corporation is installing 100 EV charging stations across 20 points in the city. Installation work is underway at 13 spots so far, while space is being identified for the rest.“We want to install these charging stations before winter. Officials have been directed to ensure that all points be made operational by then,” said municipal commissioner Vikramaditya Singh Malik.RTO records show Ghaziabad has over 70,000 e-vehicles, which include 39,415 e-rickshaws, 1,525 e-carts, 17,856 e-bikes, 7,143 three-wheelers, 4,578 four-wheelers and 59 e-buses.Reports show NCAP cities recorded unsatisfactory progress in the pollution fight in 2025. While Delhi remained the most polluted city in the country with an annual average PM10 concentration of 197 µg/m³, Ghaziabad was a close second.The city recorded an annual average PM10 concentration of 190 µg/m³. Last year, the city exceeded National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for 285 days. NAAQS are legal limits set for outdoor air pollution. Air quality levels were particularly concerning, with the city experiencing 22 days classified under the ‘severe’ category – the highest among all Indian cities.Ghaziabad was also among the top three most polluted cities in the country with respect to PM2.5 parameters. The annual average PM2.5 concentration in Ghaziabad in 2025 was recorded at 93 µg/m³ – with the city exceeding NAAQS standards for 194 days of the year.“We hope that, through measures taken using central govt funds under NCAP for non-attainment cities, we can reach the target to reduce PM10 levels from 175 last year to 158 and PM2.5 from 85 to 77,” an official said.Cities are declared non-attainment if they consistently do not meet NAAQS for PM10 or NO2 over a five-year period.
