CM: Infra projects must follow norms

hinde’s instructions to treat government projects on par with construction projects of the private sector comes against the backdrop of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issuing notice to 916 of the 1342 construction sites that were inspected by its squads for compliance with guidelines to curb air pollution.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday ordered officials to take steps on a war footing to curb air pollution in Mumbai and underscored that the government’s infrastructure projects are not exempted from implementing air pollution mitigation measures.

Chief minister Eknath Shinde held a review meeting on Thursday.

Shinde’s instructions to treat government projects on par with construction projects of the private sector comes against the backdrop of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issuing notice to 916 of the 1342 construction sites that were inspected by its squads for compliance with guidelines to curb air pollution. Officials said the Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation has sought exemption from BMC.

Officials said construction sites and vehicular emissions were two major contributing factors to air pollution in Mumbai. Though some officers in BMC said that the AQI was bad due to climatic changes, the environment secretary Pravin Darade pointed out in the meeting that there were 11,000 constructions in MMR, and this was biggest cause of bad AQI.

Environment department also said that large number of trucks were doing landfilling at coastal road site is also responsible.

The CM said that water must be sprayed on tyres of all such vehicles at Mumbai’s boundary. The CM also threatened to stop the work of National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited at BKC where norms are not fully followed. Shinde said the BMC has also been told to deploy more manpower to clean roads using water and hire tankers for the purpose.

At the meeting, Shinde told MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee to ensure that their metro and other infra sites do not generate dust. BMC commissioner IS Chahal was told to deploy 1,000 tankers to spray water on the roads to reduce dust.

Shinde said all agencies must implement the plan and take prompt and effective steps to improve the air quality index. The chief minister also instructed officials to ensure that debris carried in trucks was fully covered in line with the high court’s order. For the future, he asked officials to increase urban forests with Miyawaki plantations, a reference to a technique pioneered by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki to ensure 10 times faster growth of plants.

Addressing the media at BMC headquarters, municipal Commissioner Chahal emphasised that the air pollution situation in Mumbai was in control - the AQI levels are between 100 and 200 - and that the city did not need a Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) like the one that is laid down for the National Capital Region.

Chahal added that the BMC will set up high-pressure jet sprayers near Mumbai entry points where buses and trucks coming into the city would be washed. He also announced a squad of 500 marshalls to prevent the burning of garbage.

Chahal also warned that action would be taken for violating air pollution mitigation guidelines irrespective of whether the project is being implemented by the private sector or the government.