Navi Mumbai construction projects must pay ₹1.17 crore fine for air, noise pollution

A joint inspection by NMMC's town planning and environment departments revealed violations at 78 construction sites

Navi Mumbai: The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has imposed fines totalling ₹1.17 crore on construction sites failing to follow approved standard operating procedures (SOP) aimed at controlling air and noise pollution in the city.

Workers at a construction site. Representative Image. (Photo by Bhushan Koyande/HT Photo)

A joint inspection by NMMC's town planning and environment departments revealed violations at 78 construction sites across the city. The infractions were distributed across various areas, with Nerul recording the highest number at 24 sites, followed by Sanpada with 18. Airoli/Digha area had 13 violations, whilst Belapur registered 10. Ghansoli reported nine cases, Vashi seven, and Koparkhairane six.

"Until now, these inspections were done at the ward level but now the headquarters is looking into the adherence of SOPs. During these inspections, numerous violations were found based on the checklist already provided to the developers. Fines were levied accordingly, and ward offices are instructed to issue notices in this regard," said an official from the town planning department.

The SOPs were developed in response to a suo moto petition (PIL no 3/203) filed by the Bombay High Court on December 11, 2023. Municipal Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde approved these procedures on June 19, 2024, establishing measures to combat air and sound pollution in the city.

"The SOPs call for strict adherence to the norms and a task force is in place to monitor compliance. There is regular inspection and reports filed in this regard. The fines are calculated as per ₹50 per square metre of the plot area. There is a checklist. For example, the site should have fogging machines, in the absence of which a fine is levied," said a NMMC official.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​