Despite ban, construction goes on unabated in Delhi

Some residents said that in many places, work had not stopped at all after Diwali, despite the formal ban, with dust clouds remaining a daily feature.

Despite the Delhi government’s strict curbs on construction-related activities under Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), which has been in force for over a week, work on private and semi-private projects continues unabated across large swathes of the Capital. From crowded commercial hubs to residential neighbourhoods, construction dust continues to add to the city’s already polluted winter sky, underscoring the widening gap in enforcement.

Spot checks by HT found construction ongoing at multiple sites across the city. (Raj K raj/HT Photo)

A spot check by HT across areas such as Sadar Bazaar, Sarai Kale Khan, Vasant Kunj and Dwarka found construction sites operating in full swing, with workers labouring without masks, debris spilling onto roads, and building material lying uncovered.

Some residents said that in many places, work had not stopped at all after Diwali, despite the formal ban, with dust clouds remaining a daily feature.

Under Stage 4 of Grap, all construction and demolition activities – including linear public projects such as roads, flyovers, pipelines and transmission lines – are prohibited to curb particulate pollution. Yet on the ground, residents and workers said enforcement has been patchy at best.

“Despite the government’s claims, the lack of enforcement is evident. The mix of loud, often jarring sound is audible throughout the day and till 8-9 in the night due to construction… The restrictions exist only on paper,” a resident of Dwarka Sector 19 said, requesting anonymity.

In another part of Dwarka, residents of Sector 1, Pocket 2 said tile-cutting and interior work continued for days, sending fine dust into surrounding homes. Only after repeated complaints by the residents’ welfare association did authorities intervene and halt work temporarily. “Despite clear restrictions and multiple complaints, the work continued, risking the health of everyone in the locality,” said a resident of Apna Niyas, a DDA-SFS housing complex.

Similar scenes played out in affluent neighbourhoods such as Vasant Vihar and Defence Colony, where multiple private residential projects were active on Wednesday. At several sites, piles of sand and concrete lay uncovered, while debris encroached onto public roads. In Defence Colony’s CBlock, a lane had been cordoned off by a construction site, forcing vehicles to navigate around construction waste strewn across the carriageway.

The construction comes at a time when Delhi is grappling with one of its worst pollution spells of the season. Delhi is current experiencing the worst December since 2018. So far, the average AQI this month has been 343, the second worst for this part of the month 2015 onward, an analysis HT showed.

PM10 – coarse particulate matter generated largely from road dust and construction activity – emerging as a major contributor. According to pollution experts, construction dust remains one of the most stubborn sources of winter pollution, especially during dry, windless conditions. Unchecked construction, they said, can quickly undo any gains from other curbs in the city.

“At construction sites, particles mostly bigger than PM10 particles are present. Although it cannot travel long distances, it still remains an issue with severe health risk for the population living in the vicinity. Despite the ban in place, regulators don’t have enough manpower to physically inspect such sites. All construction sites which are larger than 500 square metres are mandated to have low cost air quality monitoring stations connected to a server which the regulators can easily monitor and will not need to deploy manpower. There are implementation gaps on this as well,” founder and lead analyst of Envirocatalysts, Sunil Dahiya, said.

Officials from multiple civic agencies privately acknowledged that enforcement has been uneven, citing manpower shortages and poor coordination between departments. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is responsible for monitoring construction dust at private sites, did not respond to queries despite repeated attempts.

In contrast, large public infrastructure projects have continued, often with official sanction. At the heart of Sadar Bazaar, work on an upcoming underground metro station was in full swing, with workers clocking 10 to 12-hour shifts amid layers of dust. Many were seen without masks, their clothes coated in fine grey powder. To facilitate the work, at least 14 shops in the Mithai Pul area were shut by authorities earlier this month.

“My shop number 2 along with 13 others in Sadar Bazaar’s Mithai Pul was shut down on December 2 by the authorities due to the ongoing construction work. For the time being, I shifted my business to shop no 87 in Sadar Bazaar’s Tuliwada Chowk,” said 30-year-old Rahul Rajput who has run a wholesale shop for cosmetics in the area since 2012. Commenting on the status of the metro project, he said “it is a government project, how can it stop”.

“My shop, along with 13 others, was closed on December 2 due to the metro work. I had to temporarily shift to another location,” said Rahul Rajput, 30, who has run a wholesale cosmetics business in Sadar Bazaar since 2012.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said metro projects are permitted to continue during Grap Stages 3 and 4, subject to strict dust-control norms. A spokesperson said DMRC has deployed more than 100 anti-smog guns at construction sites, ensured regular water sprinkling, and covered construction material to prevent dust dispersal. “Strict vigil is being maintained to ensure compliance with C&D waste management rules,” the spokesperson said.

At Sarai Kale Khan, where work on the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) and metro infrastructure is underway, construction workers said activity had largely continued uninterrupted. Hardeep Kapri, a 35-year-old worker, said he had been working at the site for nearly a year, barring short breaks. “Last year, work stopped for about two weeks. If pollution worsens like that again, maybe it will pause,” he said, coughing repeatedly during a brief conversation.

The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), however, denied that any construction was ongoing at the Sarai Kale Khan Namo Bharat station, saying all prescribed pollution-control measures were being followed.

Just steps away, at an Indraprastha Gas station under construction, about 15 workers were seen working without masks as vehicles continued refuelling. “We are only doing finishing work, like tiles,” said Saurabh, a 25-year-old project engineer, standing beneath a makeshift iron ladder. When asked about workers’ identification, supervisors produced only an attendance sheet, saying IDs were not carried on-site as labourers frequently moved between projects.