BHUBANESWAR: Having improved its rank in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2025, capital city Bhubaneswar is set to receive Rs 42 crore from the Centre for implementation of various measures under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) in 2025-26 fiscal.
The state capital has improved its position from rank seven to four this year among the cities having a population in the range of three to 10 lakh in the Swachh Vayu Survekshan 2025, results of which were announced by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) in September second week.
A senior official from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) said the ministry has already set aside the fund and will release it to the corporation soon. “The meeting of the district level monitoring committee (DLMC) on NCAP was held under the chairmanship of the municipal commissioner on Saturday to discuss key areas where the funds will be utilised to improve the city’s air quality further,” he added.
City nodal officer for NCAP and BMC deputy commissioner for sanitation N Ganesh Babu said the city has improved its ranking on multiple parameters that include reducing dust pollution, vehicular emission, charcoal burning, improving city’s greenery and ensuring proper disposal of construction and demolition waste.
“BMC being the nodal agency for implementation of NCAP measures will implement a city micro action plan to take up clean air programme related initiatives from the ward-level across the city,” he added.
Babu further informed that the civic body will utilise the financial support for different purposes like increasing the number of mechanical sweeping machines from existing four to six in the city for dust control. “BMC will also intensify plantation activities and take up Miyawaki plantation in more areas in and around the city, while steps will be taken to work in coordination with the transport authorities to phase out old and unused vehicles, as part of the NCAP action plan,” he said.
Steps will also be taken to check open burning of waste to improve city’s rank in the national clean air programme further, the BMC official said.