Mumbai Construction Sites Under Scanner: High Court Directs BMC, Police To Enforce Pollution Rules
News18 · Parishmita Saikia ·
The Bombay High Court has asked officials to step up pollution monitoring across Mumbai. It also wants strict action against construction sites violating norms
Mumbai News: The Bombay High Court has reprimanded the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and other civic and enforcement agencies over their failure to ensure compliance with noise and air pollution norms at construction sites. The court stressed that enforcing pollution-control regulations is a statutory responsibility of the authorities and that compliance must be ensured across the city, rather than through isolated action against individual builders.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna directed officials to conduct routine inspections and ensure that construction activities do not violate prescribed pollution limits. It clarified that the court was not seeking a blanket halt to construction work, but maintained that development cannot come at the cost of public health and residents’ well-being.
The bench also said construction permissions should be granted only after developers provide written assurances that they will comply with noise and air pollution norms. The builder concerned had not submitted an affidavit assuring the court that there would be no further violations.