Gurgaon: The state govt has come out with a new action plan that promises a crackdown on the very sources that turn winter into a struggle for clean air. From Oct 1, authorities will target 200 end-of-life vehicles every day for impounding, tighten checks on visibly polluting vehicles and PUCCs, tackle road dust and traffic bottlenecks, and step up action against construction sites, industries and stubble burning.The Winter Action Plan 2026-27, covering Oct to Feb, seeks to shift the focus from reacting after air quality deteriorates to preventing pollution at its source. It identifies vehicular and road dust emissions, waste and biomass burning, congestion, construction and demolition, industrial emissions, generator sets and other seasonal sources for targeted action.The crackdown is specifically targeted at old vehicles that are past their permitted age. On Dec 31, 2025, Haryana had 8.9 lakh vehicles that are either BS-III category or below . The plan has, however, estimated that only 88,974 may actually be plying on roads, assuming 10% remain active. The state will also push for scrapping of such vehicles and issue NOCs for those being shifted to other states.From Oct 1, vehicles without a valid pollution certificate will not be allowed to buy fuel at petrol pumps across NCR. To enforce this, the transport department has proposed 2,780 automatic number plate recognition cameras at fuel stations. Action will also target visibly polluting vehicles, unnecessary idling and poor traffic management, alongside measures to encourage cleaner transport.The state plans to purchase 875 electric buses by Dec 31 this year, and set up 900 EV charging stations too. Of these, 789 had been achieved, leaving 111 still to be added.Traffic congestion will be tackled at 102 short-term choke points identified by seven municipal corporations, including 33 in Gurgaon. Another 19 locations, including three in the city, have been earmarked for long-term measures. Seventy-nine parking lots, together capable of holding 11,308 vehicles, will also be targeted to address congestion caused by improper parking.Road dust, a major everyday irritant for commuters and residents, will be tackled through mechanical sweeping, removal of accumulated silt, paving or stabilising road shoulders, repairing damaged surfaces, securing loose construction material and suppressing dust at identified locations.Of the 1,734.9km of roads identified for redevelopment across the seven corporations, 1,165.7km will see a makeover this year itself. Gurgaon accounts for 494.9km of these roads, followed by Faridabad (273.7km), Sonepat (125.1km), Manesar (103.3km) and so on.The state will also increase mechanised sweeping capacity. Gurgaon, which had 18 large machines as of Dec 31, 2025, requires 30 and will get 12 additional machines under the plan.Construction and demolition sites will face tighter dust-control checks, including covering material, proper transportation, wheel washing, barricading, dust suppression and safe handling of C&D waste. Haryana has proposed 550 TPD additional processing capacity — 400 TPD in Gurgaon, 100 TPD in Sonepat and 50 TPD in Panipat.The state will also add 23 continuous ambient air-quality monitoring stations in its NCR districts. Gurgaon will get five, Faridabad four, Sonepat three, Panipat and Rohtak two each, and Manesar, Karnal, Palwal, Rewari, Mahendergarh, Jhajjar and Nuh one each. There are 29 stations that currently monitor pollutants, including PM10, PM2.5, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ammonia, carbon monoxide, ozone and benzene, along with weather parameters.Haryana pollution board will prioritise major polluting industries and clusters, monitoring emission stacks at red category units as well as food, metal and textile industries. Inspections will be carried out both during the day and night, and action taken for emission exceedances, delays or data capture below 85% a day. Stone crushers will be monitored through an online dust portal from Nov 1.Brick kilns in non-NCR districts must achieve 30% co-firing of paddy-straw pellets or briquettes by Nov 1, 2026.The pollution board and local departments have identified 75 pollution hotspots in the NCR districts where action will be taken by urban local bodies and traffic police. Progress will be assessed through air quality trends, inspections, violations, open-burning and crop-fire incidents, road-cleaning coverage, construction and industrial compliance, traffic measures, complaints and geo-tagged photographs. Persistent violations will be escalated to the competent authority.For paddy harvesting, the plan will target the management of 8 million tonnes of straw – 4.5 million tonnes in situ, 2.7 million tonnes ex situ and 1 million tonnes for fodder. Haryana had 52,684 functional crop-residue management machines and is planning to buy 10,000 more during the season, besides 109 additional bale-storage areas. Drones will monitor fires in hotspot villages.The ex-situ target will include use in industrial boilers, biomass power plants, CBG and 2G bio-ethanol plants, thermal power stations and brick kilns. The state has proposed 48 pellet plants, one CBG plant and three industrial boilers, adding almost 10 lakh tonnes of capacity.Municipal bodies will expand waste-processing capacity in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Manesar. Gurgaon generates around 1,500 TPD of municipal waste, against an annual processing target of 1,600 TPD. At Bandhwari, 15 lakh tonnes of legacy waste remains recorded.The plan also calls for monitoring emissions from DG sets and other combustion sources, promoting cleaner alternatives and ensuring uninterrupted power supply wherever feasible to reduce reliance on diesel generation.
