The Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas conducted a high-level review meeting with the Government of Rajasthan in Jaipur on 27 January 2026 to assess progress and preparedness on air pollution abatement in the State’s NCR districts of Alwar, Bharatpur and Bhiwadi. The meeting was chaired by Shri Rajesh Verma, Chairperson, CAQM, and focused on sector-wise interventions and Annual Action Plans for 2026 aimed at achieving sustained reductions in pollution levels.
Detailed presentations were made on the City Annual Action Plans 2026 for Bhiwadi, Alwar and Bharatpur, as well as the State Annual Action Plan 2026 of Rajasthan. The plans covered major pollution sources including vehicular emissions, construction and demolition activities, road and open area dust, municipal solid waste management, and industrial emissions. The Commission undertook a comprehensive review of the proposed measures, timelines and institutional responsibilities.
While examining the City Annual Action Plans, CAQM directed the concerned urban local bodies to submit revised and future-ready plans within one week. The revised plans are required to ensure complete road coverage with clear financial projections, paving of pedestrian pathways, strengthening of road infrastructure, deployment of adequate mechanical road sweeping machines, and development of safe cycling tracks. The Commission also emphasised the need to strengthen the air quality monitoring network, including installation of an additional Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station in Bharatpur. Cities were instructed to adopt clear strategies to reduce PM2.5 levels with annual reduction targets of at least 10 per cent, bridge all identified gaps within two years, reassess municipal solid waste processing capacities in line with current waste generation, and focus information, education and communication activities on relevant stakeholders.
The State Annual Action Plan 2026 was reviewed department by department. CAQM directed that the revised State plan must explicitly target a minimum annual reduction of 10 per cent in pollution levels. Key focus areas highlighted included promotion of lithium-ion batteries in place of lead-acid batteries for e-rickshaws, accelerated transition of two-wheelers and three-wheelers to electric vehicles, installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras at fuel stations, strengthening of EV charging infrastructure, and implementation of Integrated Traffic Management Systems. The Commission also called for identification of traffic congestion points, development of adequate construction and demolition waste processing facilities and secondary collection centres across all NCR urban local bodies, prioritised redevelopment of urban and industrial roads with financial assessment, completion of greening of pathways and central verges within one year using diverse shrub species, constitution of a State-level Task Force and ward-level teams, and establishment of Integrated Command and Control Centres at Bhiwadi, Alwar, Bharatpur and at the State headquarters.
The Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board presented the status of installation of Online Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems and Air Pollution Control Devices in industries. CAQM directed that installation of OCEMS in all remaining units be ensured on priority. Industries that fail to place orders for OCEMS before 31 January 2026 will face action in line with directions of the Central Pollution Control Board.
Vehicular pollution and traffic management received special emphasis during the meeting. CAQM stressed improved traffic flow through deployment of Integrated Traffic Management Systems with automated challaning, installation of ANPR cameras at traffic intersections, identification and removal of traffic bottlenecks, augmentation of parking facilities, and graded phasing out of diesel-operated autorickshaws from NCR areas. The Commission also called for fast-tracking adoption of cleaner mobility solutions by motor vehicle aggregators, delivery service providers and e-commerce entities.
The Commission directed periodic reviews of compliance by all stakeholder departments and agencies and underlined the importance of strict, time-bound implementation of action plans to achieve tangible improvements in air quality across Rajasthan’s NCR districts.
The meeting was attended by the Member Technical, Member Secretary and Director of CAQM; the Additional Chief Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Department, Government of Rajasthan; the Chairman of the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board; and senior officers from the Departments of Environment, Local Self Government, Industries, Transport, Traffic Police, Agriculture, Urban Development and Housing, RIICO, RRECL, the Bhiwadi Integrated Development Authority, RSPCB, and the Municipal Corporations of Alwar, Bharatpur and Bhiwadi.
