Ist FIR against builder for defying clean air norms
The developer was found continuing the work without putting the mandatory 25-feet-high compound (sheets) on all four sides at the construction site
Mumbai: Nearly a month after Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) set up guidelines for construction sites to follow, in order to keep the quality of Mumbai’s air from worsening, a builder from Vile Parle has been booked for flouting the norms.
The civic body had issued stop work notice to Bharat Realty Ventures (P) Ltd, at St Baptista Road, on November 8, for not adhering to the air pollution mitigation guidelines. Despite this, on Sunday evening, it found the builder had not aborted work on the project, following which an FIR was registered at the Santacruz police station on Monday.
Vishwas Shankarwar, deputy municipal commissioner Zone 1V, called it a “brazen violation of the stop work notice”.
The developer was found continuing the work without putting the mandatory 25-feet-high compound (sheets) on all four sides at the construction site. Additionally, the tyres of the vehicles bringing construction material to the site were not cleaned, causing dust to spread on the public road.
The stop work notice was issued under Section 354 (A) of the MMC Act, and a copy was given to the Santacruz police station on November 9. “My opinion is that it has polluted the air by bringing the dust on the public road. This is a complaint to take legal action against the developer,” read the civic official’s statement.
Section 291 of IPC was also applied for continuing the work after the injunction. Under this section one can be punished with simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, or both.
Dhaval Barot, managing director, Bharat Realty Ventures (P) Ltd, said, “We stopped work on the site as soon as the notice was issued. The BMC has to show some cases of FIRs to prove that they are working. They are hence randomly pulling up some sites. We were unlucky. The workers were cordoning the site, but BMC pulled out some old pictures to prove non-compliance.”
On Friday, civic chief and administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal had directed the 96 squads, formed to check if air pollution mitigation measures are being followed in the city, to file FIRs against errant developers that violate the stop work notice. All three additional municipal commissioners instructed the 24 assistant commissioners on a video conference to crack the whip on errant developers.
Meanwhile, in the K East ward (Andheri east), eight construction sites were sealed last week for flouting BMC’s SOPs and 138 stop work notices issued.
Manish Valanju, assistant commissioner of the ward, said, “The main doors of the sites have been locked with a government seal. As soon as developers comply with the notice, the sites will be unsealed.” The ward is making a list to register police complaints, in accordance with
Chahal’s instructions.