Directing the Delhi Government to take immediate steps for preventing air pollution caused by dust particles, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recommended the enhancement of the capacity of its Burari plant in North-West Delhi. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar noted that there was a “dire need” to enhance the capacity of the plant for reutilisation and recycling of construction and demolition (C&D) waste material.
“Construction activity is one of the most significant facets of development. However, it is one of the serious contributors to air pollution... It is on record that Delhi-NCR is generating nearly 4,000 MT of C&D waste every day and the capacity of the plant is not able to utilise even 10 per cent of such generated waste,” the bench said. The bench directed all the builders and transporters to ship C&D waste to the appropriate disposal and recycling sites, and maintain due record of the same.
“We make it clear that even if construction has been started after seeking environmental clearance under the EIA notification 2006, but is being carried out without taking the preventive and protective environmental steps as stated in this order and MoEF guidelines, 2010, the State Government, SPCB and any officer of any department shall be entitled to direct stoppage of the work,” it said.
The bench said that it was a corporate social responsibility of all the builders to maintain due diligence in sticking to the prescribed rules while carrying out any construction or mining activity. Cracking the whip on the real estate sector, the NGT on April 10 had directed builders in the NCR region to stop all construction activities if they had not implemented the environmental guidelines laid down by the Government in 2010. It had also passed a slew of measures to check air pollution caused by dust emanating from construction sites in the NCR.