Meghalaya boosts pollution tracking, unveils real-time air quality monitoring system in Byrnihat
Shillong (PTI): Meghalaya has ramped up air-quality surveillance in the industrial town of Byrnihat - flagged in recent assessments as one of the country’s most polluted towns - with Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma inaugurating a Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring System (CAAQMS) in Ri-Bhoi district, officials said.
Located along the Assam-Meghalaya border, Byrnihat has featured among India’s worst pollution hotspots in studies by IQAir and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, they said.
The newly installed CAAQMS will provide real-time data on major air-quality indicators, helping authorities take timely corrective action and frame evidence-based policies, the officials said.
Earlier in Shillong, Sangma, who also oversees the Forests and Environment Department, chaired a review meeting of the Meghalaya State Pollution Control Board (MSPCB) to assess its functioning and streamline operations.
“We had positive discussions and reviewed the working of the board. We also discussed steps to streamline its functioning to make it more effective,” he said, adding that a follow-up meeting will be held in January to outline measures for expanding the board’s mandate.
The chief minister also inaugurated a zero liquid discharge effluent treatment plant and a 47 kW grid-connected rooftop solar photovoltaic system at the MSPCB office, before visiting the board’s laboratories, the officials added.
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Nine killed, 23 injured as bus falls off ghat road in Andhra Pradesh
Chinturu (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): Nine people were killed and 23 others injured after a bus fell off a ghat road and turned turtle here in Alluri Sitaramaraju district in the early hours of Friday, police said.
They said the bus, which was heading to neighbouring Telangana, was carrying 37 people, including the driver and the cleaner. Six of them are safe.
Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar said the accident occurred around 4.30 am on Chintoor-Maredumilli ghat road near a Durga temple.
"At least nine people were killed, and 23 were injured as the bus fell off the ghat road. It turned turtle... and got stuck," Bardar told PTI, adding that four of the injured are critical.
According to the officer, it is likely that the bus driver did not see a curve at the accident site due to heavy fog.
Police said the bus plunged from a higher ghat road and was lying upside down by a road located below. The accident occurred near the China Wall, which was built to prevent vehicles from plunging off the road. "We don't think the death toll will rise, and the four critically injured persons are doing okay," said a police official.
The SP noted that the bus was carrying people from Chittoor area, who had completed a visit to Araku and were proceeding to Sri Rama temple at Bhadrachalam in Telangana district.
Mothugudem police station booked a case under Section 106 (which deals with causing death by rash and negligent driving) of BNS. Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed anguish over the accident.
The Chief Minister spoke to officials over the accident to enquire about the treatment being offered to the injured persons, said an official press release.
Officials informed Naidu that the injured persons were shifted to Chinturu hospital and other hospitals for better treatment.
