Rs 3 crore fine levied on agencies in NCR over construction & demolition waste

NEW DELHI: Special teams in Delhi and NCR states have inspected 6,596 C&D sites, of which 963 sites were found to be non-compliant with various C&D
Waste Management Rules and dust mitigation measures, said Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM).

An amount of approximately Rs 3 crore has been levied as environmental compensation against the defaulting agencies, besides orders issued for stoppage
of work at 52 locations.In a statement on Wednesday, CAQM said, “As dust emanating from construction & demolition (C&D) sites is a major consistent source of air pollution, CAQM has been actively taking up with the governments of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh for strict compliance of dust mitigation measures at C&D sites.

Following the directions of the Commission, dedicated teams were deployed in the states to inspect C&D sites. According to the reports received and compiled by the
Commission from Delhi and NCR states, intensive drives are being regularly conducted by the concerned agencies by constituting a number of teams.”

C&D activities generate enormous amounts of dust and contribute significantly to PM2.5 and PM10 adversely affecting the quality of air, it added.

Between October 1 and 15, 112 teams, including 37 teams in Delhi, 30 in Haryana, 20 in Rajasthan and 25 in eight NCR districts of UP, were deployed to conduct on-field surprise inspections of C&D sites. During this period, 1,268 sites were inspected, including 1,017 C&D sites in Delhi, 98 in Haryana, 89 in NCR districts of Rajasthan and 64 sites in the NCR area of UP. The commission said a total of 60 vehicles were found violating prescribed dust mitigation norms during the field inspections and a total of Rs 81,20,000 was imposed and collected as EC
from the erring C&D sites and vehicles.

To tackle the problem of dust resulting from construction, remodelling, repair and demolition, such activities need to be strictly monitored and inspected for
compliance with various dust control measures on a regular basis, said the commission.