And to make matters worse, recent instances show that although the city of Chandigarh has spent almost 31 crores in the last seven years, there is still no significant change in the air quality of Chandigarh. Official statistics reveal that most of the available pollution control measures such as air monitoring stations, awareness campaigns, and vehicles emission regulations have not achieved substantial results. This news points to the ineffectiveness of the deployed strategies and this casts a serious doubt on the planning and deployment of environmental policies in the city.
Even after such spending in the public sphere, environmental experts and the residents are venting their frustrations over the absence of any substantive progress. The news has evoked the need again to ensure there is increased transparency, improved planning and effective accountability on the war against air pollution. As levels of particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) in Chandigarh remain too high, health fears are on the increase, particularly among children and older people. The pressure on authorities is great today to reconsider their strategy and find more science-approved solutions.