31 December,2024 04:06 AM IST | Mumbai | Sameer Surve
A construction site in Borivli East that was closed on Tuesday. Pic/Nimesh Dave
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has shut down 78 construction sites in Borivli East and Byculla due to rising dust pollution. Construction will only resume after all sites implement BMC's 28-point Dust Mitigation Guidelines, introduced last year. The decision follows the implementation of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4) as air quality in these areas dipped to an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 200 over the past few days.
On Monday, Civic Chief Bhushan Gagrani said, "The BMC has decided to shut down all construction sites in Borivli East and Byculla. Work will resume only after the guidelines are fully implemented." According to BMC data, 45 construction sites in Borivli East and 33 in Byculla have been closed till Tuesday evening. Notices have also been issued to infrastructure projects by government agencies, including the BMC itself.
A construction site in Borivli was shut on Tuesday. Pics/Nimesh Dave
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A senior BMC official stated that both wards have deployed a team of 25 staff members, including engineers and officials, to monitor the sites. "Yesterday, notices were issued to the construction sites. On Tuesday, teams visited these sites to ensure they are closed," the official said. These teams will continue to inspect sites until compliance is confirmed. In Borivli East, there are approximately 100 construction sites, some of which were already shut down before the drive. "Our team closed 45 sites and will continue visiting the remaining ones to ensure compliance," the official said. Similarly, in Byculla, 33 sites were shut down by the BMC team.
A senior official from the BMC Building Proposal Department warned of strict action against sites that fail to comply even after receiving stop-work notices. "We will file FIRs under Section 52 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act. This law prescribes a minimum imprisonment of one month (up to three years) and fines ranging from Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000," the official said. Meanwhile, the BMC has imposed a complete ban on new trenching of roads. Only repairs of water pipelines will be permitted, another official added.
