Mumbai, Oct. 24 -- With the air quality index (AQI) in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) dropping, state environment minister Pankaja Munde on Friday announced a clean air action programme for the region, with emphasis on road dust control, transportation and disposal of construction debris, industrial pollution and vehicular emissions. Vehicles transporting construction materials and debris in violation of norms must not only be fined, but also withheld till they take corrective measures, Munde said. She was speaking after chairing a meeting to review measures to tackle air pollution in Mumbai and its surrounding areas. Environment department officials said that in order to reduce road dust, emphasis would be placed on using vacuum cleaners instead of relying solely on sweeping and spraying water using sprinklers. It would also be mandatory for vehicles transporting construction debris to be completely covered, officials said. Apart from Munde, environment secretary Jayashree Bhoj, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) member secretary Rahul Rekhawar, transport commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) additional commissioner Avinash Dhakane, and Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Mangesh Chitale were present at the meeting, while commissioners of the remaining municipal corporations within the MMR participated via video conferencing. Munde stressed on the need to pay special attention to road dust and dust that gets resuspended in the air due to vehicular movement. Since these factors contribute significantly to pollution, changes are needed in the methods used to clean roads. "Simply sweeping dust to one side does not reduce pollution. The use of vacuum cleaning machines should be increased," she said. The minister said that all municipal corporations should procure the necessary equipment to reduce air pollution and adopt technological solutions for road cleaning, dust control and regular pollution monitoring. Since several municipal corporations were facing difficulties because of the shortage of suitable sites for dumping construction debris, there was a need to establish a coordinated system for debris collection, transportation, processing and recycling. "Municipal corporations in Mumbai and the surrounding areas should explore the possibility of jointly using available sites. In addition to developing dedicated facilities for debris disposal, they should encourage the processing and reuse of construction waste in building activities," Munde said. Officials from the Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation raised concern about the shortage of sites for dumping construction debris and asked about the possibility of using available sites in Mumbai or Thane. CIvic officials from Navi Mumbai spoke about difficulties in controlling dust due to construction activities around the airport, redevelopment in industrial areas and traffic on national highways. From Kalyan-Dombivli, officials said that construction debris was illegally transported at night and police assistance was required to prevent debris from being dumped in mangrove areas....