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Loni, Ghaziabad

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Loni is a city located in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It sits within the Ghaziabad Metropolitan Region, making it a key part of a large urban area. The name of the city has deep roots in history. It comes from the Hindi word "lon," which means salt. This word eventually traces back to the Sanskrit word "lavaṇa." Historians believe the name refers to the town's location in an area where salt was very abundant. Today, Loni is a significant administrative and transport hub near the capital region.

Historically, Loni has been an important location for many centuries. A Mughal period document called the Ain-i-Akbari lists Loni as a "pargana," which is a type of administrative subdivision. During that time, it was part of the Delhi sarkar subdivision. The document notes that Loni produced a revenue of 3,278,878 dams for the imperial treasury. It also supplied a military force of 200 infantry and 20 cavalry. At that time, the city was protected by a fort made of brick.

In the 14th century, the city saw a major invasion by the leader Timur. This event took place at the town and its fort just before a battle against the Tughlaq Sultan, Mahmud Shah. During this period, an emir of Timur expressed a fear regarding the people being moved with the army. To address this, Timur insisted that individual owners kill their own slaves. He ordered that one hundred thousand adult Hindu males be slaughtered before the battle. He also stated that anyone who failed to carry out the task would be killed themselves.

Administratively, Loni is managed through several different levels. The Loni Municipal Council governs the city, and the area is also a "tehsil." A tehsil is a basic administrative unit used to manage land revenue and help citizens address grievances. The Loni tehsil includes about 49 villages and is headquartered at Rampark. The Loni Nagar Palika Parishad was first established as a Nagar Panchayat on March 31, 1971. This council is divided into 55 different wards. According to the 2011 census, the city had a population of 516,082 people.

Loni serves as a vital center for energy distribution in northern India. In 2001, GAIL commissioned a massive LPG transmission pipeline. This is the world's longest pipeline used exclusively for LPG, which is liquid petroleum gas used for cooking. The pipeline runs from Jamnagar, Gujarat, to Teela Loni near Delhi. This network can transport 3.8 million tonnes of LPG every year. It has the capacity to supply more than 20% of the LPG consumed in the entire country. Large distribution terminals for IOCL, BPCL, and HPCL are located in Loni to supply gas to the region.

Transportation in Loni is highly active and connects the city to many other places. People can travel by road, rail, or air. The city has a moderate road network that connects to the Delhi-Saharanpur route. Many commuters use shared autos to travel between places like Shahdara and Loni. The Delhi Metro also serves the area through the Pink Line at the Shiv Vihar station. This station is very important for the large population of commuters. For rail travel, the Noli Railway Station handles over 26 trains and about 12,000 passengers every day.

Despite its importance, Loni faces a very serious environmental challenge regarding air quality. The 2025 World Air Quality Report named Loni as the most polluted city in the world. The report measured an annual average PM2.5 concentration of 112.5 μg/m3. This level is more than 22 times higher than the guidelines set by the World Health Organization. This pollution is caused by rapid urbanization, industrial emissions, and heavy vehicle traffic. In the winter, temperature inversion and crop residue burning can make the smog even more severe.

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