204 projects fined for environmental clearance breaches

New Delhi: Environmental bodies of Delhi have left no stone unturned to mitigate the air pollution levels under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP). Officials have been pressed to check all the suspicious places to curb the rising air quality. They have identified 260 construction sites for violating dust control rules. As part of the effort, 204 projects had been fined for failing to get the environmental clearance norms.

At least 35 construction sites have been shut down amid failing to keep the air quality healthy. Screw was tightened on illegal dumping of waste. During the inspections, officials marked 974 sites and took action against 775 areas for dumping violations. Actions were taken against culprits responsible for open waste burning, and fines were imposed against 31 for municipal waste burning violations.

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Delhi’s air quality reached the ‘severe plus’ category in mid-November; AQI touched almost 500 in several areas of the city. Therefore, GRAP 4 restrictions were imposed to improve the situation. Residents of Delhi had to experience living in a gas chamber for at least two weeks.

The Delhi government left no stone unturned to curb the pollution, deploying over 18,000 anti-smog guns, 13,000 water sprinklers, and 4,400 road-sweeping machines, covering over 135,000 kilometers of roads. Officials are checking the construction and demolition sector as well, with over 6,700 sites marked for the violation of dust pollution.

The industrial sector was also not spared, with several industrial units and generator sets confiscated for the violation of environmental regulations. Despite the challenges, the authorities have been working on long-term solutions to improve Delhi’s air quality to provide better air quality to the Delhiites.