Strict action against construction agencies violating anti-dust norms: Gopal Rai

New Delhi: Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday directed officials to take strict action against construction agencies found violating anti-dust norms at Sarai Kale Khan here.

As part of the Delhi government's anti-dust campaign, Rai inspected several construction sites in the area and found they did not have a working anti-smog gun, water sprinklers and tin sheds to prevent dust pollution.

The minister directed the Delhi Pollution Control Committee to issue notice to the project proponents concerned. He said a penalty will be imposed on the violators if they fail to submit a satisfactory reply within 24 hours.

Rai Saturday launched a month-long drive to prevent dust pollution in the capital and said strict action will be taken against anyone found violating relevant norms.

The Centre's air quality panel on Friday directed authorities in the National Capital Region to enforce a ban on coal usage in hotels and restaurants, and to take punitive measures against polluting industries and thermal power plants as the air quality in Delhi plunged into the 'poor' category.

This action comes as part of the central government's pollution control plan known as the 'Graded Response Action Plan' (GRAP) which is implemented in Delhi-NCR to combat air pollution during the winter season.

The Anti-Dust Campaign includes measures such as the installation of dust control equipment at all sites exceeding 500 square metres, with real-time monitoring available through a web portal.

Rai said 591 teams have been set up to ensure strict compliance with dust control norms, with 530 water sprinklers and 258 mobile anti-smog guns employed to combat dust pollution.

He said separate and specific action plans have been designed for each of the 13 air pollution hotspots in Delhi based on real-time air quality data collected from 40 air quality monitoring stations in the capital. The minister said a total of 13 teams had been formed to implement these action plans at the identified air pollution hotspots.

The Delhi government had last month launched a 15-point action plan to mitigate air pollution in the capital during the winter season, with a strong emphasis on addressing dust pollution, vehicular emissions, and the open burning of garbage.