Ghaziabad: Yoga instructor Sanjeev Sinha is bracing for “tough days” of pollution ahead of winter. It was in Jan that a stretch in Patrakar Vihar’s Nyay Khand 1 was dug up. The work is still half done.“Since the construction work is still on, we will not take any risk. In Jan, when the pollution level was at its peak, I had to shift my yoga classes indoors due to the high level of pollution, which in winter gets aggravated. Many students ended up coughing and wheezing when I conducted classes in the society’s park as they inhaled high amounts of particulate matter, which was floating in the air,” Sinha told TOI,echoing the views of many others in Indirapuram township.“House arrest, no morning and evening walks — this year will be no different, now that winter is approaching,” elderly resident Kalpna Singh of Rail Vihar said, adding, “In Feb, it was dust pollution, then came rain and it was mud and slush all over.”The CISF road stretch passing through Rail Vihar, which is being “upgraded” under CM Grid since Feb this year, is fitted with mounds of earth here and there.UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), in a report, has included Indirapuram, Vasundhara, Vaishali and Kaushambi, with road dust and traffic congestion as major reasons behind the high level of pollution. The report — Action plan to tackle air pollution during the ensuing winter season 2026-27 — was discussed at CM’s meeting on Friday.UPPCB regional manager Ankit Singh said, “Dust pollution, specifically PM10, was the main reason behind the spike in AQI in Indirapuram and Vasundhara, which was the result of construction activities taken up in these areas by GMC.”“As per our data analysis, in Vasundhara the average PM10 concentration between Jan to Aug in 2026 was recorded at 208 as compared to 124 last year. In Indirapuram, it was 205 in 2026 and 137 in 2025. Through the district magistrate, UPPCB has recommended that GMC should ensure green cover at all construction sites in Indirapuram, Vaishali and Kaushambi and has demanded that round-the-clock dedicated water sprinklers be installed at these construction sites to mitigate dust pollution,” added Singh.A spokesperson for Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) told TOI,“CAQM policy on dust and construction and demolition (C&D) pollution is clear, which warrants deployment of adequate numbers of anti-smog guns, in proportion to the area of the construction sites. Trans-Hindon areas, where construction work is going on, are no different. But directions will be issued to UPPCB to keep an eye on pollution level at these sites.”As per CAQM policy, at least one anti-smog gun for a total construction area between 5,000–10,000 sqm is mandatory. Two are mandatory for a total construction area between 10,001–15,000 sqm. Three are mandatory for a total construction area between 15,001–20,000 sqm and at least four for a total construction area of more than 20,000 sqm.A GMC official said, “Appropriate directions have been issued to contractors undertaking CM Grid work in Indirapuram and Vasundhara. To start with, we are already on to the job of levelling the construction site. On Monday, after CM’s review meeting, mayor Sunita Dayal has called for a meeting over the issue which will be attended by contractors and GMC officials at which preparedness will be reviewed.”
