Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on a construction company building a new block at RML Hospital for violating anti-dust guidelines. Rai, who also issued a notice to the company, announced the penalty during an inspection of the new RML Hospital block.
“The construction site is not following the regulations, so the government has issued a notice to the company. Due to this violation, the DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the company,” the minister told reporters.
The construction company has been asked to fully comply with the 14-point guidelines and submit a detailed compliance report to the DPCC. Failure to submit the report would result in daily penalties, he added.Similar violations were found at Godrej’s site on Lady Hardinge Road, where inadequate deployment of anti-smog guns and insufficient dust control measures were reported.
“The Delhi government has initiated a 21-point winter action plan to combat pollution during the colder months,” Rai said.
“Today, our anti-dust campaign launches as part of this plan. The war room is operational, and bio-decomposer spraying to reduce stubble burning has begun,” he said.
Rai emphasised the necessity of compliance with all 14 dust control rules across construction sites in Delhi, warning of stringent action against defaulters.
“We have deployed 523 teams to monitor compliance and improve air quality. Departments have been instructed to conduct regular inspections to ensure adherence to environmental norms,” he added.
To further curb pollution, the Delhi government has also deployed 500 water sprinklers and 85 Mechanical Road Sweeping (MRS) machines throughout the city.
To tackle winter pollution, the Delhi government has launched a 21-point winter action plan, which was initiated on September 25.
