Under pressure, the BMC has begun issuing stop-work notices to builders failing to comply with its recent anti-air pollution guidelines. Sources said that at least three to four construction sites, including one each at Mulund and Santacruz, have been issued stop-work notices.
In a stop-work notice issued to Prestige City in Mulund (W), the T ward office said a flying squad appointed for air pollution mitigation enforcement visited the construction site and found the builder had not complied with 13 conditions.The builder has been directed to procure and install sprinklers and anti-smog guns within 15 and 30 days from the date of issue of the guidelines (October 25).
The violated guidelines range from metal sheet covers at building sites to sensors to record air pollution.
The construction sites that have been issued stop-work notices by the BMC have violated several guidelines. These include: 25ft high metal sheets around the periphery of a construction site, enclosing site in wet cloth/jute/tarpaulin cover, vehicles carrying construction materials to be fully covered so that construction material or debris does not become airborne during transportation and the vehicle shall not be overloaded to avoid any spillage, sensor-based air pollution monitors to be deployed at sites and data to be made available to BMC when demanded.
The guidelines also specify that all grinding, cutting, drilling, sawing and trimming work is to be carried out in an enclosed area and water sprinkler/water fogging to be continuously done while working. Also, all construction and demolition waste are to be transported to designated sites and the wearing of protective equipment by all construction personnel and managers is to be mandatory.
While it is a residential site, the stopwork notice also mentions violation of the guideline requiring all worksites like bridges and flyovers to have barricading of a minimum 20 ft, all Metro work above ground to be covered with barricading of 20 ft, ban on open burning at dumping site (especially garbage) and roads to be provided with paved footpaths.
Project management consultant Harshad More said erecting 25ft barricades could result in accidents as these could fall on account of normal wind flow. More said since the guidelines were issued, anti-smog guns and sprinkler stock has dried up and are not available in the market.
Suyog Seth, a consultant to the real estate industry, said, “Please spend half an hour in a building that is completely covered with green cloth from all sides. And we expect labour to work inside this building.”
More said Diwali is approaching and there is every danger of rockets and Chinese lamps landing in these construction sites, which may result in such sheets catching fire.
“Imagine if there are workers inside, what will happen?” A source said the BMC has given 15-30 days to comply with the guidelines or stop work. “By the end of this deadline all works will have to be stopped, including infrastructure works by government and corporations,” he said.
