NTPC Ltd, India’s largest power producer, signed an agreement with Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to provide financial support for installation & commissioning of Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS).NTPC will provide financial support of Rs. 80 crores for installation of 25 CAAQMS across 6 States and 3 Union Territories. The CAAQMS will be installed in Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Patna (Bihar), Varanasi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Allahabad (all in Uttar Pradesh), Pimpri – Chinchwad (Maharashtra) and Madurai (Tamil Nadu). Along with these cities, CAAQMS will also be installed in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Dadar & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu (Port Blair, Silvassa and Daman).
The MoU was signed by Dr. Prashant Gargava, Member Secretary, CPCB and Shri Ravi V Babu, General Manager (Corporate Environment Management), NTPC Ltd in presence of Shri Prakash Tiwari, Director( Operations), Shri Ramesh Babu V, ED to CMD and Shri B Basu, CGM(SSEA).Data garnered from these stations will be used as inputs for Air Quality Index evaluation for the respective cities. NTPC is continuously making efforts to curb pollution in varied ways.