Ghaziabad, Noida critically polluted: Official

Lucknow, Feb 27 (IANS) Ghaziabad, Noida and a few other areas in Uttar Pradesh have been declared "critically polluted", forcing the state government to issue fresh directives to contain the menace, an official said Friday.

The other areas are Kanpur, Agra, Singrauli (Sonebhadra) and Varanasi-Mirzapur.

Worried at the falling levels of air and water quality in these area, Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan has issued direction to the district magistrates to step up measures for quality improvement in the environment.

The state government said the DMs would be held accountable for growing pollution and inability of the administration in containing it.

"The DMs will not only monitor effective control of various mechanisms to curb pollution but also update and inform the government and the Central Pollution Control Board," an official told IANS.

Ranjan said that besides safe disposal of solid garbage, efforts should be undertaken to set up sewage treatment plants (STPs) in all these areas. Instructions have also been issued to maximize use of CNG in vehicles, specially those being used in public transport.