Bhubaneswar: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has sought personal intervention from the Centre and the state government to find a permanent solution to the alarmingly rising air pollution in the Angul-Talcher industrial belt.
In separate letters addressed to Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Coal and Mines G Kishan Reddy, and Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Pradhan highlighted the serious threat posed by deteriorating air quality to public health in the region.
Expressing deep concern over the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Angul consistently remaining in the “severe” category, Pradhan noted that Talcher’s inclusion among the most polluted cities in the country is particularly worrying. He pointed out that the situation is severely affecting children, the elderly, and people suffering from respiratory illnesses.
The Union minister stressed the need for strict enforcement of pollution control norms in industrial areas and for strengthening real-time air quality monitoring systems. He urged the Ministry of Coal to introduce mechanised coal transportation systems along with advanced dust suppression measures. Pradhan also proposed the creation of green buffers through large-scale plantation around industrial zones and mining corridors, and the expansion of target-based initiatives under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP).
Observing that measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) are largely temporary, he emphasised the importance of a long-term, coordinated strategy involving the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), district administration, and industrial establishments.
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