Mumbai: With winter approaching, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has ramped up action against construction sites that violate air pollution norms. On Wednesday, the civic body issued a show-cause notice to the under-construction Metro line 7A—an extension of line 7, connecting Andheri East to the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport—for failing to follow its air pollution mitigation guidelines.
The notice flagged violations such as the absence of a 25-foot tin sheet around the site, the lack of a tyre-washing facility for trucks, a dusty and debris-laden access road, and the lack of air quality monitoring sensors and display boards. The notice was issued to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is building the metro line, and contractor J Kumar.
“The BMC has been issuing notices to construction sites that are violating the 28-point guidelines and have not installed the air quality sensors, as per the Bombay High Court’s orders,” said an official from the BMC’s environment and climate change department. “Last month, on October 28, a meeting was held with several developer and builder groups who asked for an extension on the deadline. But it cannot be stretched indefinitely, especially as the high court’s initial deadline was way back in June. One additional month has been given.”
The official added that if the metro authorities fail to comply with the notice within one to two weeks, the BMC will issue a stop-work order to the construction site.
However, Keval Valambhia, chief operating officer of CREDAI-MCHI, a developers’ body, highlighted the difficulty in acquiring air pollution sensors. “The issue is that the BMC has shortlisted around 15-18 vendors to supply the sensors, and once we place an order, it is taking four weeks for them to be installed. The vendors are importing the machinery, assembling it and then installing it at our sites. We have requested the civic body to increase the number of vendors and ask them to complete the installation process quickly,” he said.
Valambhia added that around 500 air quality sensors have been installed across Mumbai, with about 250 integrated into the BMC’s monitoring system. The city has roughly 1,200 construction sites, and each sensor costs approximately ₹1.2 lakh.
Another MMRDA project has also attracted the ire of residents due to air pollution—the demolition of the Elphinstone Bridge, ongoing in Prabhadevi and Parel.
“It’s horrible,” said Kamal Chheda, a shop owner in Parel. “After a whole day at my shop, my hands feel brittle and dry, my eyes are grimy, and dust has coated my hair. We used to keep our door open to attract shoppers in, but it’s increasingly not an option. Residents have also resorted to shutting their doors and windows. Roads are watered once a morning, and only on some days. There is also no proper barricading. It’s becoming a huge health hazard. When I walk to the station, I have to wear a kerchief over my nose, and the access road is shabby and unkempt, with bikes also driving, making it an obstacle course for senior citizens.”