City fines 20 projects Rs 50,000 a day for pollution

The AAP government has imposed an environment compensation penalty of Rs 50,000 per day on 20 major projects, including British School in Chanakyapuri, proposed Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies in Rohini, National Small Industries Corp. Ltd. in Okhla and Pawan Hans Ltd. in Gautam Budh Nagar of Uttar Pradesh for causing dust pollution. The government had earlier issued notices to over 200 infrastructure projects/builders in the national capital for causing dust pollution. Interestingly, a large number of defaulters did not respond to notices sent by the city government.

In its order, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee directed the defaulters to deposit the cumulative compensation for default to be calculated at the rate of Rs 50,000 per day from the date of issuance of notice on April 29 up to the day of deposition of the compliance report. Terming them a major source of air pollution, several Delhi government officials said fines were imposed after a field survey by the committee found these construction sites flouting norms on air pollution. The Delhi Pollution Control Committee had issued notices to 200 construction sites and sought clarification following directions issued by the NGT, the green watchdog.

The list of major projects found violating dust norms, include Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College project in Dwarka, construction of district courts opposite Mata Sundari College, Redevelopment of East Kidwai Nagar GPRA complex, Multiplex-cum-Commercial Development in Chanakyapuri, EWS Housing for Slum Relocation in Bawana, Low Cost Housing in Tikri Kalan, Prefab LIG and EWS for DDA in Narela, DDA’s mega-housing project in Vasant Kunj and Group Housing Societies Complex near Sultan Garhi Tomb.

In the case of the British School, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee found during its inspection that all construction debris and material of any kind stored on the site was not fully covered so that it could not disperse in air in any form. “Unpaved surfaces and areas with loose soil were not adequately sprinkled with water to suppress dust. All vehicles, including those carrying construction materials and debris of any kind, were not cleaned and wheels washed before leaving the construction site. Tarpaulin or green net on scaffolding around the area of construction and the building not fully provided,” the notice said.

Same was the case with Pawan Hans Ltd, where the DPCC found that all construction debris and construction material stored at the site had not been fully covered so that it could not disperse in air in any form.

Though there have been several studies in the past on the major sources of pollution in the capital, the last comprehensive study on this issue by Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur, had clearly shown that road dust and not vehicular pollution was the biggest source of air pollution. According to the IIT-Kanpur study, carried out between 2012 and 2015, road dust is the top contributor to both PM10 and PM2.5 emissions in Delhi.

Cracking the whip on the real estate sector, the NGT had last year announced a fine of Rs 50,000 on those causing air pollution due to dust emanating from construction sites in the National Capital Region and it had also made wearing of masks mandatory by the construction workers.