Telangana Will Have Cleaner Air, Says Bhatti

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday said that the government’s clear motto was “Cleaner air for a healthier Telangana”. He said that the Cabinet led by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was working towards the improvement of air quality, and stated that true development is not possible without clean air.

He was speaking at a conference, “Air Quality Index and Air Quality Management”, organised by the state planning department in coordination with the Telangana Pollution Control Board (TGPCB) here on Thursday.

He noted that Telangana was one of the fastest-growing states in India, while Hyderabad had emerged as one of the world’s fastest-growing cities. “While this growth is a matter of pride for all of us, it also puts a major responsibility on the government to ensure environmental protection is in line with the development”, he said.

“Development and environmental protection must move forward together. Growth without clean air is not progress, it is delayed damage,” he further said.

Highlighting global concerns, he referred to the ‘State of Global Air Report 2024’ and said that air pollution was the second leading cause of death worldwide, after high blood pressure. The report estimates over 8 million premature deaths annually, including more than 7 lakh children under the age of five.

He stressed that air quality is not just an environmental issue, but also a public health, productivity and economic issue, which directly impacts the state’s GDP.

Bhatti said that the government has adopted a target-driven and scientific approach to air quality management. He stated that in 2024, the government had doubled the air quality monitoring network by setting up 40 stations across towns with populations above one lakh, and a State Clean Air Action Plan was prepared last year to address pollution from vehicles, road dust, construction, industries and open burning.

He said additional measures to curb pollution included promotion of electric vehicles, expansion of the e-buses Metro Rail network, increased charging infrastructure and the launch of registered vehicle scrapping facilities to remove old polluting vehicles.

Industrial pollution is being monitored through continuous emission systems linked to TGPCB servers, while cleaner fuels are being encouraged, Bhatti said. Telangana's Renewable Energy Policy 2025 aimed to generate 20,000 MW by 2030 through solar, wind and green hydrogen.

Raising concerns about industries surrounded by residential areas, the Deputy Chief Minister warned of pollution and accident risks and said that zoning reforms and better urban planning were essential to curb pollution.