An office at Nehru Place has fresher air than Darjeeling
By Soumya Mukerji, 2008-12-15

THE city’s buzzing, filthy electronics hub Nehru Place houses the purest air among the Capital’s commercial buildings.

The Paharpur Business Centre (PBC) here has better air than any other workplace in the city, according to a new study by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Kolkata’s Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute. Darjeeling (at 350 µg/m3) has nearly four times the suspended particulate matter than the Paharpur office (92 µg/m3).

The 340-page study was released in September. As part of it, 1,438 people were clinically examined and 6,005 surveyed through questionnaires.

“If this can be achieved at Nehru Place, it can be accomplished anywhere,” said Kamal Meattle, CEO of PBC, who conceptualised this project when his lung capacity had dropped to 70 per cent, like most urban professionals. “It’s back to 100 per cent now, but the important question is: why wasn’t Paryavaran Bhawan or the Prime Minister’s house the first to lead by example?”

For workers at PBC, clean air has meant 24 per cent less headaches, 52 per cent less eye irritation, 20 less chances of hypertension and 12 per cent more lung power.

Read the rest of the feature here