NCR air: Construction dust at plots smaller than 500 sq m under CAQM lens

The CAQM has empowered civic agencies and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) to enforce dust mitigation measures at Construction and Demolition (C&D) sites with a plot area less than 500 sq m, an official said on Tuesday.

Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) issued an amendment on Monday to its Statutory Direction No. 86 to further strengthen enforcement against violations of dust mitigation measures, the official said in a statement.

The amendment widened the ambit of enforcement by extending the powers to initiate prosecution against gross violators to additional Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities, Municipal Councils, Municipal Boards and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) in the NCR, said the statement.

During the last quarter, April–June 2026, 16,195 inspections were undertaken by DPCC/SPCBs at C&D sites in Delhi, 909 sites in Haryana (NCR), 230 sites in Uttar Pradesh (NCR) and 160 sites in the NCR districts of Rajasthan, it said.

Statutory Direction No. 86, issued on January 2, 2025 and amended on June 24, 2025, had authorised the Commissioner/Zonal Deputy Commissioners of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Secretary, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and Commissioners/Chief Executives/Deputy Commissioners of various ULBs in Gurugram, Faridabad, NOIDA, Greater NOIDA, Ghaziabad and Sonipat to file a complaint/prosecution before the jurisdictional Judicial Magistrate in cases of gross violations of directions/orders relating to dust and air pollution control at such sites within their respective jurisdictions.

The Direction also empowered these authorities to order closure of such sites and impose or realise Environmental Compensation (EC) in cases of gross violations, including those relating to the GRAP Schedule in respect of C&D activities.

Recognising that a significant number of construction projects on plots having an area of less than 500 sq m are also ongoing in several other Municipal Corporations and bigger cities/towns in the NCR, which contribute significantly to the overall PM10 and PM2.5 load attributed to the C&D sector, the Commission has expanded the enforcement framework to ensure more effective implementation of dust mitigation measures across the region, said the statement.

Accordingly, the powers to initiate prosecution against gross violators of dust mitigation measures at C&D sites have now been extended to additional Municipal Corporations, Development Authorities and Urban Local Bodies across the NCR, including Manesar, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Meerut, Alwar, Bharatpur, Bhiwadi and Neemrana, besides strengthening the existing enforcement mechanism in the NCR.

The amended Direction also requires all agencies to submit a monthly status report to the Commission on complaints and prosecutions filed, along with the monthly progress reports already being submitted, said the statement.

This reporting mechanism is expected to strengthen accountability and facilitate closer monitoring of enforcement actions across the NCR.