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Construction ban flouted in several Delhi colonies

ByParas Singh and Jasjeev Gandhiok
Nov 03, 2022 12:26 AM IST

At localities in Chhatarpur, Chhatarpur Enclave, Munirka, Malviya Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, Tilak Nagar and Janakpuri, construction work on buildings was going on when HT visited these neighbourhoods on Wednesday

The ban on construction and demolition works is being widely violated across the Capital, a spot check by HT in different parts of the city showed, raising questions on how effective a key air pollution control measure can be with attempts to circumvent it, and what appears to be lax enforcement.

Construction work near Old JNU campus. (HT Photo)
Construction work near Old JNU campus. (HT Photo)

Private civil construction work was banned by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) on October 29 as part of the category 3 restrictions under the new graded response action plan (Grap) to combat air pollution.

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At localities in Chhatarpur, Chhatarpur Enclave, Munirka, Malviya Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave, Tilak Nagar and Janakpuri, construction work on buildings was going on when HT visited these neighbourhoods on Wednesday.

Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) have said that such a ban can only be meaningfully enforced with citizen participation, and Delhi environment minister Gopal Rai urged people to immediately report any construction work taking place around them on “Green Delhi App”.

The environment ministry oversees the enforcement of the ban with the help of government departments. If construction sites are not following these norms, then fines can be imposed by the teams and construction can be stopped. The 586 enforcement teams include of 33 units from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), 165 teams from the revenue department, 300 from the MCD, 14 from Delhi Jal Board, and 33 teams from DDA.

The spot check showed that while civil construction activities were being done openly in unplanned areas, urban villages and unauthorised colonies such as Munirka, Chhatarpur Enclave, Ber Sarai and parts of Tilak Nagar, the works were more covert in planned urban areas like Malviya Nagar, Safdarjung Enclave and Janakpuri. In these, most of the work was done behind tarpaulin sheets and windbreakers.

At one of the sites in Chhatarpur Enclave phase-2, labourers were seen crushing stone, laying marble floors, plastering fresh walls.

“The plastering work was initiated before the construction ban was put in place, and could not be left mid-way,” said a supervisor at one of these sites located in B-block of Chhatarpur Enclave.

In Malviya Nagar A-Block, B/H block of Safdarjung Enclave and Janakpuri, HT found construction sites and building material covered with windbreakers, but sounds of stone cutting could be heard from inside the sites.

RWAs and citizen groups agreed that the norms were not being followed. Atul Goyal, who heads United RWAs Joint Action (Urja), an umbrella body of resident welfare associations, said: “The agencies should improve monitoring and accountability must be fixed.”

Goyal said agencies should rope in local area committees with RWAs as a monitoring mechanism. “Locals should flag these violations, otherwise the enforcement will not work,” he added.

In south Delhi, Pankaj Aggarwal from Safdarjung development area RWA and general secretary of Delhi RWA Joint Front seconded the sentiment. “People know that these violations can be carried out in nexus with MCD and police. Unless the neighbours complain or the local RWAs gets involved, these bans cannot be effectively enforced,” he said.

In Defence Colony, Bhavreen Kandhari, an environmental activist and part of the group Warrior Moms, said she noticed no violations in her neighbourhood but several complaints were being received by her group from other parts of the city .

“We have allowed major construction sites to continue to function through these exemptions, which is defeating the purpose of the ban. At the same time, small civil construction work at a lot of places has carried on and there is no monitoring on the ground,” said Kandhari, and added that her group received pictures of construction in Vasant Vihar.

“We have told the locals to submit this on the Green Delhi app,” she said.

A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment on the issue.

A DPCC official said a total of 586 teams had been formed by the Delhi government and other agencies to act on construction and dust violations. He added that people can also submit complaints on the Green Delhi app. “If any violation is found, suitable action will be taken accordingly,” said the official.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi said that it has imposed 2,301 challans and recovered more than 20 lakh in fines. “Overall, we have deployed 100 teams with 406 personnel who are operating in day-night shifts to prevent violations related to air pollution. In addition, 52 mechanical road sweepers and 225 water tanker sprinklers have been pressed into action to control the dust sources,” said an MCD official who asked not to be named.

On the ground, however, the enforcement seemed lacking.

Unveiling 'Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!
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