Navi Mumbai: A dedicated task force formed by Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) will undertake weekly inspections of construction sites across the city. The force is formed to look into the noise and sound pollution caused from ongoing construction and development projects in the city.
In adherence to Bombay High court order given on December 11, 2023, in response to a suo- moto Public Interest Litigation (PIL) hearing, NMMC over the past eight months have worked on a detailed Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs) to address sound and air pollution caused to construction work across the city.
Accordingly, the civic body had formed a committee on April 24 this year, for drafting the SOPs to be followed by construction firms. Simultaneously the committee has also proposed the appropriate punitive action to be taken against the violators. The proposal for the SOP and punitive action was sanctioned by the Municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde on July 26 and the final sanction was given on August 1,2024.
The task force is the next step towards implementing the measures identified by NMMC. “The city is going to witness numerous redevelopment projects therefore it was necessary to have a system in place to ensure that development doesn’t affect city’s Environmental Quotient Index (EQI). With the SOPs in place the formation of the task force is a means to enforce the system at the ground level. A weekly visit will be conducted by the ward officers of every construction sites right from the excavation to the laying of the foundation. Following the visit, a report will be submitted with the town planning department,” said an official from NMMC.
The worsening air quality within Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) had lead the Bombay High Court last year to direct every municipal corporation to identify ways to curb pollution due to construction work. The SOP by NMMC lays strict guidelines upon developers, construction firms while undertaking excavation work as well as blasting activities for multi room basements.
