Kolkata, Dec 28 (PTI) West Bengal Pollution Control Board has already set up 70 of the planned 150 sensor-based air quality monitoring stations across the state as part of the National Clean Air Programme, an official said on Tuesday.

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The technical and scientific personnel of the board will monitor, calibrate and validate the data in collaboration with the IIT-Delhi on a regular basis, WBPCB chairman Dr Kalyan Rudra said.

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"The board has launched 70 out of the total 150 sensor-based air quality monitoring stations across the state to record data. LED display boards are also installed at the same locations," he said at a function here.

A compact air quality monitoring station is a sensor-based unit that measures PM1, PM2.5, PM10, SO2, NO2 and meteorological parameters of ambient temperature and relative humidity.

To comply with an order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in the past, the board has undertaken various initiatives to control such pollution in seven cities of West Bengal, including Kolkata, Rudra said.

As part of the initiatives, like previous years, the pollution watchdog is going to organise a series of programmes to distribute LPG cylinders with ovens and LPG-based iron units to owners of roadside eateries and vendors respectively to replace coal and wood as fuel and provide them with a clean option to run their businesses in an environment-friendly way.

The board distributed LPG gas cylinders with ovens and other accessories to around 2,570 beneficiaries in Kolkata, Howrah, Bidhannagar and Lake Town areas since 2019, he said.

These programmes could not be organised on a large scale in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The state board has already imposed a prohibition on open burning, another WBPCB official said, while highlighting its various efforts to curb air pollution.

She stated that controlling air pollution is not only the responsibility of the government but also citizens should execute their duties.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)