Rs 50,000 fine for dust pollution at construction sites amid poor air quality in Delhi

With air quality deteriorating to “poor” levels in New Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) has conducted inspections at construction sites, imposing fines of Rs 50,000 for each violation of dust mitigation measures.

Due to the persistently poor Air Quality Index (AQI) in recent days, Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) was enforced on Tuesday.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the NDMC confirmed that inspections had been carried out to enforce dust control measures, and 30 fines of Rs 50,000 each (totalling Rs 15 lakh) were issued in accordance with National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines.

The civic body is taking various steps to curb air pollution, and teams responsible for inspections are issuing fines to violators, monitoring, and overseeing the process, the statement added.

The statement also noted that the Public Health Department had issued 290 fines amounting to Rs 48,747 for breaches of public hygiene, solid waste management, littering, use of single-use plastics, and burning waste or dry leaves in public spaces.

The NDMC has deployed six mechanical road sweepers, eight mobile anti-smog guns, one static anti-smog gun with a mist spray machine, and 20 water sprinklers to combat pollution, the statement mentioned.

Stage 1 of GRAP, a set of winter-specific anti-pollution actions, aims to control pollution through dust management at construction sites, effective waste management, and frequent road cleaning.

Also Read: The invisible threat: Understanding and combating dust pollution

It also calls for strict monitoring of polluting vehicles, improved traffic management, and emission controls in industries, power plants, and brick kilns.

(With inputs from PTI)