IN ITS ongoing action against violations of air pollution mitigation measures, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has issued stop work notices to 106 construction sites for failing to install air quality measurement systems within their premises until Thursday. According to officials, the notices have been served to private contractors alongside several government projects such as the ongoing railway bridge in Sion, an SRA worksite in K/East ward, a MHADA project site in H/East ward among others.
Earlier on January 20, the BMC had informed Bombay High Court that nearly 662 (33 percent) of Mumbai’s ongoing construction sites had failed to install sensor-based air quality monitors until Tuesday.
With the city grappling under deteriorating air quality, the BMC in 2023 had released a 28-point guidelines charter enlisting norms for contractors to curb pollution emanating from construction and demolition works on project sites. Alongside this, the civic body had also directed all construction sites to install air monitoring systems with the large project sites over Rs 1,000 crore directed to install, ‘Reference Grade Air Quality Monitor’.
Officials from the civic body said that inspections for installation of air quality monitors have been ramped across project sites since 2025. However, at least 103 construction sites were found flouting the directives despite regular follow ups, nudging the civic authorities to issue immediate ‘stop-work’ notices. In its stop work notices, the BMC has directed the project contractors to cease all construction activity and submit a compliance report.
Besides private contractors, the stop-work notices have been issued to government agencies across project sites of authorities Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), Railway bridge, MHADA etc. in the suburbs.
Amid another high court hearing slated for January 23, the civic body has directed all ward-level squads to continue physical inspection of construction sites as well as bakery units who have failed to curb the emission standards.
After recording ‘satisfactory’ AQI under 100 over the past three days, Mumbai’s overall air quality index swiftly deteriorated on Thursday touching 133 (moderate). Of the 26 active stations, the worst AQI on Thursday was logged in Worli at 217, categorised as bad, followed by 163 in Sion.
