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Noida Sec74, 76 residents complain of dust pollution from ‘irresponsible’ construction activities
Noida Dust pollution from construction activities without adequate precautions continues to choke Noida — one of the most polluted cities in Delhi-NCR — despite the graded action plan (Grap) continuing to be in force across the city
Noida
Dust pollution from construction activities without adequate precautions continues to choke Noida — one of the most polluted cities in Delhi-NCR — despite the graded action plan (Grap) continuing to be in force across the city.
Residents of sector 74 and 76 complained that irresponsible construction activity continued to take place in their area by one government agency and one private builder.
Grap norms are supposed to be in place in Noida till February 15, which compels the builders to take adequate emission controlling measures. On Saturday, the city air quality turned ‘very-poor’ after remaining under ‘poor’ category for past two days. Noida was also the second most polluted city (after Ghaziabad), at the beginning of the year 2021.
According to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board , both the builders had been handed out a penalty of ₹5 lakh each in December. The agency said that it will take more strict action now if the builders were found continuing to flout norms.
Residents of the highrises who live in the vicinity of the construction sites complain that the improper construction activities was not just leading to excessive road dust, but also leading to discomfort in terms of breathing.
“The construction work is being held at the sector 76 main road and the one connecting sector 74 and 75. The issue had been going on since last few months and no adequate dust control measures have been taken. The construction from the site leads to dust emission. The movement of open trucks carrying building materials makes it difficult for us to even stroll out,” said Amit Gupta, city-based activist and resident of sector 77. He added that the resident had earlier raised complaint with the pollution board and the district administration through the respective online portals.
Another resident, who lives next to the construction site, said that during the daytime strong winds often carry soil and larger dust particles from the construction site to their houses.
“During the day time, it is almost impossible for us to open the windows because of the dust. We have complained a number of times but the issue persists,” said Puneet Sharma, resident of Aditya Celebrity Homes, sector 76.
“The heavy trucks bring a lot of mud from the construction sites and during rains the stretch is covered in slush and mud, making it impossible to walk on,” said Sachin Goyal, a resident of JM Orchid, sector 76, adding that the tires of the trucks are never washed as Grap rules suggests.
Meanwhile the officials of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said that the violators had been slapped with a penalty earlier and they are now working on taking more action.
“The violators are repeat offenders and it seems that they have not learnt their lessons. We are working on taking legal action by prosecuting them The process will be initiated under the legal framework and the matter under the Air Pollution act will be taken up at the environment court in Lucknow,” said Praveen Kumar, regional officer, UPPCB, Noida.
He added that given the scale of construction in the city and the violations, it is important for the concerned authorities to give a mandatory training on environment norms to any agency or builder before they start working on ground.
