Govt fines over Rs 7 crore for construction site violations

Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa on Saturday said the Government imposed more than Rs 7 crore in penalties on construction sites violating pollution norms this year.

“A total of 1,750 sites were inspected, 556 notices were issued and 48 units were ordered shut for violating pollution control norms, he said. In the last two days, the Delhi Pollution

Control Committee officials carried out 230 road and garbage inspections, 110 by Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials, 36 by the Public Works Department, 32 by the Delhi Development Authority, 17 by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation, and eight by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, resulting in a show-cause penalty of around Rs 1 crore, the minister said.

He said the agencies issued 7.97 lakh Pollution Under Control challans this year, compared to 4.33 lakh challans in 2024. A total of 42,017 potholes were fixed this year, against 18,000 repaired a year ago.

Sirsa said the number of electric vehicles registered in Delhi has risen to 4.54 lakh on November 15 this year, up from 3.46 lakh on December 31, 2024.

He said DPCC will appoint 100 surveyors for door-to-door and road-to-road assessments to strengthen on-ground checks. Currently, 1,823 enforcement teams are deployed, including 536 for dust control and 633 for action against open burning.

Around 350 new mist-spray poles have been installed across Delhi, while 3,377 electric heaters have been supplied to 1,407 resident welfare associations as part of a plan to distribute 10,000 heaters citywide, the environment minister added.

The Delhi Government is soon to sign an MoU with IIT Delhi and IITM for a Pollution Source Apportionment Study to scientifically identify and address city-specific pollution sources. This will further strengthen the Government’s data-backed approach to air quality management, Sirsa said. The Government has issued strict directions for retrofitting all BS-IV and below generators with anti-pollution devices. “No generator — domestic or commercial — will be allowed to operate without retrofitting. Violators will face heavy penalties,” the Minister warned. Earlier in the day, the minister inspected the Saidulajab ward area as part of the ongoing mega cleanliness drive across all parts of Delhi.