The BMC has issued stop-work notices to 53 construction sites for violating pollution rules as Mumbai battles worsening air quality. The civic body warned of strict action for non-functional AQI sensors, while the Bombay High Court rejected claims linking the city's pollution to Ethiopia's volcanic ash
Smog cover across Mumbai's skyline. Filepic
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued stop-work notices to 53 construction sites for contributing to air pollution. The initiative by the BMC comes as the city grapples with a deteriorating Air Quality Index (AQI).
The civic body on Thursday also directed that the air pollution guidelines it had laid down should be followed strictly. These include installing sensors to monitor AQI that remain operational all the time, as reported by news agency PTI.
Ashwini Joshi, Additional Municipal Commissioner (city), also warned of strict action if AQI sensors were found to be non-operational.
Earlier in the day, the Bombay High Court had also said that the authorities cannot blame ash clouds from the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia for the air pollution across the city.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad was urged to take up the hearing of a bunch of pleas from 2023 on the issue of air pollution in the city, reported PTI.
Senior counsels Darius Khambata and Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for the petitioners, said that the AQI in the city has been consistently poor and people have been facing major health crises because of that.
On the contrary, the additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan said that air pollution has worsened due to the volcanic eruption in Ethiopia two days ago.
The double bench of the Bombay High Court, however, did not entertain the argument that hinted at ash clouds as the reason for pollution.
The court, while listening to the applicants and the prosecution, said, "Even before this eruption, if one stepped out, visibility was poor beyond 500 metres," as reported by news agency PTI.
Referring to the situation in Delhi, which is witnessing alarming levels of AQI, the Bombay High Court has further asked what effective measures can be taken to address the issue.
The bench of the Bombay High Court questioned, "We are all seeing what is happening in Delhi. What is the effect of that?", posting the matter for hearing on Friday.
Amid the concerning weather conditions, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora also wrote to the BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, urging him to take immediate and extraordinary action, including a temporary halt to all digging and construction sites until the air quality improves.
Depra, while writing to the civic authorities, highlighted, "Mumbai's air pollution crisis is no longer a seasonal issue; it is a public health emergency. India needs a nationwide war and a national consensus against air pollution," as cited by news agency PTI.
(With inputs from PTI)
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