Gurgaon: With road dust emerging as a major urban pollution concern, MCG has revised the composition and functioning of its dust control and management cell, placing responsibility for dust mitigation squarely on senior civic officials and field-level engineering teams.An official order issued by MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya on Monday mandates coordinated action on road maintenance, mechanised sweeping, water sprinkling, scientific disposal of collected dust and the conversion of unpaved roadside stretches into paved surfaces or green areas. The order also introduces a structured monitoring and reporting mechanism, requiring monthly assessments of the implementation of road-dust control measures.Under the revised composition, the MCG commissioner will head the cell as chairperson, while additional commissioners for clusters 1 and 2, Ankita Chaudhary and Yash Jaluka, will serve as members. The additional commissioner (HQ), Ravinder Yadav, who is also the nodal officer for the environment and sustainability wing, has been designated member secretary. Chief engineer Vijay Dhaka will serve as the technical member, with joint commissioners, executive engineers and horticulture officials also brought into the monitoring and implementation framework.“The expanded administrative structure signals that road-dust control is not to remain a routine sanitation exercise but must involve engineering interventions, field inspections and coordinated action across all zones,” said Dahiya.The order outlines ten broad measures, including optimum utilisation of road-sweeping machines, scientific disposal of collected dust at designated sites or landfills, and water sprinkling on roads and rights of way, particularly after mechanised sweeping. It also calls for augmenting mechanised sweeping and water-sprinkling capacity, maintaining roads to prevent potholes, repairing road surfaces in a manner compatible with mechanised sweeping, and converting unpaved roadsides into paved surfaces or green areas.Greening central verges, prioritising cement-concrete roads over bituminous roads—particularly in industrial areas—and identifying road-dust hotspots for targeted interventions are also part of the prescribed action plan. These measures place the emphasis on addressing the sources of road dust rather than relying solely on temporary suppression through water sprinkling. However, the order itself does not establish how much of the identified work has already been completed or how much remains pending.The chief engineer has been tasked with coordinating technical planning and implementing road maintenance, redevelopment, paving and other engineering interventions aimed at reducing road dust. Concerned joint commissioners and executive engineers must ensure that the prescribed measures are implemented and physically verified within their respective jurisdictions.The executive engineer, SBM, Preetpal Singh Mothsara, is responsible for monitoring mechanised sweeping, the utilisation of deployed machinery and the scientific collection, transportation and disposal of swept dust. Executive engineers from Horticulture I and II must oversee water sprinkling assigned to their branches, the greening of central verges and the treatment of unpaved areas through plantation or other suitable interventions.In a key monitoring provision, the civic body has decided that the cell will regularly assess progress and prepare monthly reports on the implementation of road-dust control measures. All concerned departments must submit accurate and duly verified reports detailing completed works, deficiencies, corrective measures and completion timelines. These reports must be supported by photographs, machinery deployment records and other relevant evidence.
