Gurgaon: Permanent elimination of road and soil dust is at the core of a roadmap to resolve the air crisis, according to an action plan, prepared by city residents. Road and soil dust, according to the plan, are the single largest contributor to particulate pollution. The action plan — prepared by a group of residents — has called for structural reforms that move beyond seasonal emergency responses and focus on “permanent emission reduction”. On Monday, Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) forwarded the proposal, which was submitted to it by Gurgaon Residents Against Pollution (GRAP), to the Haryana environment and climate change department for examination and follow-up action. Measures proposed include paving unpaved road shoulders, replacing manual sweeping with mechanised vacuum sweeping, daily road sprinkling using treated sewage water and compulsory restoration of roads immediately after digging by utility agencies.‘Vision for a Breathable Gurugram 2026: Action Roadmap’ is a Rs 1,035-crore, year-round action plan to tackle air pollution in the city. This is estimated to be about 20% of Gurgaon’s combined annual civic budget. The residents suggested meeting the cost by converging funds from the World Bank-backed Haryana Clean Air Project for Sustainable Development, the 15th Finance Commission and existing allocations with MCG and GMDA.“Dust, drainage, broken shoulders and construction waste are all linked. If these basics aren’t fixed first, we’ll keep breathing the same air year after year,” GRAP convenor Gauri Sarin told TOI.With the proposal now formally before the Haryana govt following CAQM’s forwarding, the residents urged the state to adopt the roadmap as a long-term strategy “rather than relying on reactive measures triggered during peak pollution months”.The document also calls for strict enforcement of construction and demolition (C&D) waste rules, including mandatory covering of debris, regulated transport of construction material, secondary dumping points at worksites and improved utilisation of the Basai C&D waste processing facility to prevent roadside dumping.
