Traditional air pollution monitoring has often centered on human health, sidelining sustainable development considerations. In response, the present study expands the scope by investigating urban air quality and its effect on health, employing sensor-based devices and modeling techniques. The investigation specifically delves into the shift from the "Normal" (2019) to the "New Normal" (2021) in the urban cities of Indo-Gangetic Plain (Agra, Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Noida), India. The cities like Delhi, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Noida and experienced a decrease in annual average PM2.5 concentration by 11, 7, 14, 7, 4, and 17%, respectively, however, Agra experienced 9% increase in year 2020, while in year 2021, Delhi, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad had an increase of 7, 11, 7, and 2% respectively, whereas Agra, Kanpur, and Lucknow experienced decreases of 2, 7, and 11%. Gaseous pollutants were higher in 2020, except for NO2 due to restrict movement. Temperature, humidity, and solar radiation increased in most cities, while wind speed decreased in all cities except Ghaziabad and Lucknow. The wind rose and pollution rose plots indicated long-range pollution transport from multiple directions. Negative correlations between wind speed (WS) and PM2.5 were observed in Agra, Delhi, Ghaziabad, and Kanpur (r = -0.5 to -0.6) during 2020–2021. Similarly, WS showed negative correlations with NO2 in Kanpur (r = -0.6) and with CO in Agra and Ghaziabad (r = -0.5 to -0.6). These correlations indicate that higher wind speeds aid in dispersing and transporting these pollutants. The AirQ + health assessment revealed a significant number of fatalities in 2019, a reduction in 2020, and an increase in 2021, highlighting a strong correlation between PM2.5 levels and mortality. This insight, gained through innovative technologies and analytical methods, guides policymakers, environmentalists, and public health officials in managing long-term air quality in the "New Normal".