Come with a plan to curb pollution at project sites: HSPCB to developers

P Raghavendra Rao, chairman, HSPCB said if valid suggestions based on research are submitted, then they will look into it and also discuss the same at the highest level

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) on Tuesday asked developers to come up with a plan outlining steps to be taken to curb pollution at project sites so as to do away with the need to ban construction when Stage 3 of the graded response action plan (Grap) is implemented by Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to control pollution.

Gurugram, India - October 02: Home buyers of Imperia Aashiyara affordable homes held a silent protest at the construction site against the builder due to the halt in construction work since last one month at Sector 37C near Narayana school, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, October 2, 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)**To go with Abhishek Bhel's story**

P Raghavendra Rao, chairman, HSPCB said if valid suggestions based on research are submitted, then they will look into it and also discuss the same at the highest level.

Addressing Haryana Real Estate Summit 2022, organised by National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco), a regulatory body of builders, in Gurugram on Tuesday, Rao also said that while continuity of industrial activity was important, there was also a need to give due consideration to the health of all citizens.

HSPCB chairman also asked developers to adopt the use of dual fuel gensets at construction sites and condominiums. He said recycling waste water and its proper use were critical for long-term water safety. “We must aim at reducing, reusing, and recycling (RRR) waste water and even such water that goes into drains should be treated. We must also optimally use groundwater as it is a fast depleting resource,” he said.

There is also need to increase the green cover in the city, and steps must be taken to reduce dust causing activities at construction sites, he said.

During the panel discussion, developers said a ban on construction delays real estate projects as mobilising a site again takes two to three months as most of the labour force returns to native states when they are out of work.

Praveen Jain, chairman, Naredco, called for mandatory deployment of air quality index monitoring equipment at construction sites so that whenever the AQI level exceeds 400, then construction activities automatically cease and when it falls within the accepted levels, the work can automatically restart. “This would stop the unnecessary delay in construction activities and ensure timely completion of projects,” he said.