Delhi Metro: DMRC denies link to debris on MB Road

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has refuted the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s allegations regarding construction-related debris on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, even as the civic body said it had found multiple violations of pollution-control norms.

An MCD official said the civic body had received several complaints and, during inspections, detected the absence of anti-smog guns, water sprinklers and dust-suppression measures.

He said 24 challans amounting to over Rs 3 lakh were issued under NGT guidelines.

The penalties were imposed only after verifying complaints and conducting on-ground checks, the official added.

In its statement on Friday, the DMRC said only 6.58 km of MB Road from Saket-G Block to Batra Hospital and from Maa Anandmayee Marg T-point to Pul Prahladpur falls under its Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor work.

It said this stretch has no footpath and the area outside the paved road is kutcha terrain, while its construction activities remain largely confined to the median within barricades.

Also Read: Delhi’s air pollution may be 20% worse than recorded: Study 

The corporation said it had reviewed the violations cited by the MCD, including inadequate dust suppression, uncovered construction material, improper barricading and poor housekeeping.

According to the DMRC, local residents and passersby routinely dump debris along the roadside due to the lack of dustbins provided by civic agencies, and this waste is not removed in time.

“Though not a contributor, being a responsible organisation, DMRC removes this roadside debris periodically,” the statement said.

It said photographs attached to the MCD challans show that most of the waste is roadside debris not linked to its work.

The DMRC maintained that it follows all pollution mitigation and dust control measures under GRAP guidelines, NGT directions and environmental norms.

Also Read: Delhi Red Fort blast: eyewitnesses recount scene of horror

It said that it has deployed water sprinklers, portable mist guns and anti-smog guns, and regularly cleans barricade edges.

Construction material is kept covered, and related waste is sent to authorised plants.

The observations made by the civic body have been noted and further improvements will be undertaken, the statement added.