Mumbai BMC directs builders to curb dust, keep AQ sensors running

Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide directed Mumbai developers and contractors to prevent construction dust from spreading beyond their sites and onto adjoining roads at a BMC review meeting on October 27.

Bhide asked civic officials to inspect sites regularly and act where the BMC’s 28-point air-pollution-control guidelines are breached. Construction premises must be kept clean, she said, and compliance must be visible during inspections.

The direction follows 29 stop-work notices issued to construction sites over pollution norms. The BMC had also made developers liable for site-level air-pollution breaches through pollution undertakings required for building approvals.

Bhide also told officials to ensure that air-quality monitoring stations and sensors remain operational and report accurate readings. Those responsible for equipment that is switched off or reporting incorrectly could face action.

The civic body will conduct special road-cleaning drives using modern equipment to reduce dust across the city. Ward offices have also been directed to enforce Bombay High Court directions prohibiting firecrackers on public roads, streets, footpaths and in silence zones, including schools, hospitals, government offices and courts.