Chandigarh, Nov. 17 -- Over four years after an air purification tower was installed at Transport Chowk, Sector 26, with tall claims of cleaning the city's air, the Chandigarh administration has finally ordered its removal, but only after spending around Rs.12 lakh on electricity bills and months after a study concluded that the system was largely ineffective.

The Chandigarh Pollution Control Committee (CPCC) has now directed the private firm that installed the 24-metre structure to dismantle it immediately. The UT administration has also disconnected its power supply. CPCC had been paying nearly Rs.25,000 per month towards its electricity use, leading to a Rs.12-lakh bill over four years.

The tower, inaugurated on the International Day...