SDMC asks NBCC to pause construction work at Pragati Maidan

NEW DELHI: The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) asked NBCC (India) Limited to stop all the construction and demolition works at Pragati Maidan as it was allegedly violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) guidelines on dust control. The civic body said this in a press release on October 14, 2018.

SDMC said, “the order to stop construction will remain till the air quality is brought to a satisfactory level as per the standards specified by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).”

Civic body has asked the company to produce a sanction plan for its activities before it may be allowed to continue with the construction works.

The CPCB has instructed the SDMC to implement the guidelines of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) for pollution control, which started from October 15, 2018 and will continue till March 15, 2019. The civic body said that it was already implementing the steps listed under the “very poor quality” of the GRAP.

SDMC had been instructed to increase the frequency of mechanized cleaning of roads, encourage providing of electric heaters to security stalls to avoid fires in the open, advise people affected with respiratory problems to stay away from the polluted places and to stop the use of diesel generators.

SDMC officials had been instructed to undertake ground level monitoring of pollution.