The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) has presented a comprehensive and costly blueprint to the Union government, aiming to tackle the city's persistent air pollution crisis head-on. The extensive annual action plan, submitted to Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, outlines a multi-pronged strategy focusing on curbing dust from roads and construction, expanding public transport, and managing waste, with an estimated investment running into thousands of crores of rupees.
Road Redevelopment and Dust Suppression: A Massive Infrastructure Push
At the heart of the plan is a massive road redevelopment project. Under the Commission for Air Quality Management framework, multiple agencies including MCG, GMDA, PWD, HSVP, HSIIDC, and NHAI have identified roads for overhaul at an estimated cost of Rs 2,045 crore, with funds reportedly available. For MCG alone, the proposal involves redeveloping 611 kilometres of roads at a cost of about Rs 571 crore over the financial years 2025-26, 2026-27, and 2027-28.
The civic body has set a target of making 300 roads spanning over 3,500km dust-free. Detailed ward-wise timelines were shared, with reconstruction, resurfacing, or repair using materials like bituminous macadam and wet mix macadam. For instance, in Nirvana Country, 3.5km of roads are slated for redevelopment by 2027-28 at Rs 15 crore. In Suncity, two roads totalling 11.2km are targeted for completion by 2026-27 for Rs 3.5 crore. Sector 21 will see 10.5km of roads revamped by 2025-26 for Rs 2.95 crore.
For pedestrian infrastructure, the city plans to pave an additional 130km of pathways alongside the existing 253km, with phased monthly targets through 2026. To control dust, MCG assessed over 1,400km of roads as suitable for mechanical sweeping. However, a significant gap exists: against a requirement of 42 mechanical road sweeping machines (MRSMs), only 18 are available. The corporation has proposed procuring 20 additional large MRSMs and four medium ones for Rs 29.6 crore.
MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya informed that the city's fleet of truck-mounted water sprinklers will be strengthened. "We informed the minister that seven truck-mounted water sprinklers were procured, three will be added within a few more days and six more will also be bought, making it a fleet of 16," he said, adding that 30 tankers are currently deployed for regular dust suppression sprinkling.
Boosting Public Transport and Electric Vehicle Infrastructure
A key pillar to control vehicular pollution is the augmentation of city bus services. The action plan reveals a stark shortfall: against a requirement of 1,000 buses, Gurgaon currently operates only 200 CNG buses, leaving a gap of 800. To bridge this, MCG has proposed a phased induction, aiming to add 100 buses each in April and September 2026, with a target of having 200 additional buses operational by December 2026.
Parallelly, the city plans to strengthen Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The plan proposes setting up 20 new EV charging points for government buses, to be developed by the end of 2026. Additionally, ten battery-swapping stations are proposed, with five targeted for operation between October and December 2026.
Waste Management and Greening Initiatives
The plan also addresses the critical issues of solid and construction waste. MCG submitted an assessment of around 16 lakh metric tonnes of fresh and legacy waste at the Bandhwari landfill site as of December 31. The civic body has set a target of completing legacy waste processing by March 2028.
For construction and demolition (C&D) waste, the city generates 1,500 tonnes per day (TPD). While the existing facility at Basai processes 1,200 TPD, a gap of 300 TPD remains. MCG informed that three under-construction secondary waste collection points for C&D waste are coming up at Begampur Khatola, Daultabad, and Babupur.
On greening, Commissioner Dahiya stated that Union Minister Yadav provided guidelines "with a specific emphasis on planting native Indian shrubs on unpaved surfaces to control dust." The minister also directed the identification of major traffic congestion points for targeted measures.
Scepticism from Residents and Experts
Despite the detailed plan and substantial budget, residents and environmental experts have expressed scepticism about its on-ground implementation and long-term efficacy. Environmentalist Vaishali Rana questioned the deadlines, asking, "How will they achieve this or any other deadline when there is no work on decentralised waste processing? Moreover, these measures like sprinkling, etc. are all temporary measures, which won't solve the problem."
Lalit Suraj Bhola, general secretary of Sector 9A RWA, echoed the sentiment of resident fatigue. "Every year we hear about long-term plans and big budgets, but on the ground, the roads remain broken and dusty. Until timelines are strictly followed and local roads are actually repaired, dust pollution will remain a problem and this plan feels more like paperwork than real relief for residents until it is actually implemented on the ground," he said.
Commissioner Dahiya assured that the corporation "will regularly hold meetings with all the agencies involved to ensure the implementation of the city's action plan." The success of Gurgaon's fight against pollution now hinges on transforming this extensive blueprint from ambitious paperwork into tangible, sustained action that residents can breathe easier for.
