NAVI MUMBAI: Following the Bombay high court’s directive to the civic bodies to do their bit to mitigate rising pollution levels after the deteriorating air quality index witnessed across Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) over the past few days while hearing a suo motu public interest litigation, Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh convened a meeting with the heads of various civic departments to initiate effective measures including keeping a close vigil on the construction sites.
Deshmukh stressed on the need for immediate action by developers to help improve air quality in its jurisdiction.
The civic officials have been instructed to visit construction sites and pass on the guidelines towards marginalising the pollution level in the neighbourhood. Developers have been asked to set up metal sheets, at least 25 ft high, around the construction sites to help reduce the emanating dust particles in the air, which has been a major source of pollution.
It has also become mandatory that both ongoing new construction projects and demolished buildings be enclosed by wet green cloth, wet linen cloth or tarpaulin to arrest the pollutants spreading outside the sites.
Besides, CCTV cameras are to be installed at every construction site and activities such as grinding, cutting, should take place within enclosed areas.
Meanwhile, developers have been informed that the police would take immediate action against violators, including seizure of vehicles that are in breach of the norms and those found transporting overloaded materials across the city.
