31 December,2024 05:01 PM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
Dec 15: A view of Dadar Chowpatty from the Bandra Worli Sea Link on October 15. PIC/ASHISH RAJE
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has decided to stop all construction work in Borivli East and Byculla within the next 24 hours, as these areas have been recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of around 200 for the past few days. The work will be allowed to resume once every site is found to be abiding by the civic body's 28-point dust-mitigation measures. If required, the same step will be taken in Worli and the Navy Nagar area of Colaba after monitoring their AQI levels for the next three days.
The civic body has also decided to file FIRs if construction sites continue operating despite the issuance of stop-work notices.
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Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani informed the press about these measures on Monday at the BMC headquarters.
"We have decided to close all construction sites in Borivli and Byculla East, including infrastructure projects of the civic body and state government," said Gagrani. The order will be implemented in the next 24 hours," he added further.
"We will allow work to resume on these sites only after they start implementing the civic body's 28-point dust mitigation guidelines," the civic chief said.
"We will monitor the AQI levels of Worli and Navy Nagar, and if there is no improvement, construction work will be stopped in these areas. We are not thinking of implementing the odd-even formula for vehicles in the city," said Gagrani.
The BMC has issued stop-work notices to 286 sites all over Mumbai. If these sites continue to flout guidelines, the civic body will file an FIR under Section 52 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, which deals with the penalties for unauthorised development or use of land. "This offence is non-bailable," said the civic chief, adding that the BMC would not carry out new trenching work on the road.
"If any area in the city continues to record an AQI above 200, then construction and industrial activities will be shut under the Graded Response Action Plan," said a civic official. Also, the MPCB will close the concrete ready-mix, stone-crushing and hot-mix asphalt plants in such spots.
Gagrani said that sending out alerts informing citizens about poor air quality in the manner messages are issued during the monsoon could be considered. "But pollution is a very local phenomenon. The AQI levels in Borivli East and West are not the same. It [alerts] can create panic, so we need to consider this, too, before implementing any such ideas," he said.
Avinash Dhakne, member secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, who was present at the press conference, said, "At present, we are not allowing any new ready-mix concrete plants in the city. Also, we have ordered that all these plants in Mumbai be fully covered."
Gagrani claimed the AQI level of the city had improved compared to the past three years. "We are taking various long-term majors to improve air quality. However, a lot of redevelopment and infrastructure work is ongoing. Construction dust and vehicle emissions are major contributors to the pollution of the city. There are around 2,200 ongoing private construction projects in the city."
Since November, the BMC has cleared 342 tonnes of dust from roads and begun the process of closing 77 bakeries that are fuelled by wood. To date, the municipal corporation has received 412 complaints on its Mumbai Air app, of which 350 were addressed.
286
No. of sites that have been issued stop-work notices by BMC
2,200
No. of ongoing private construction projects in the city
