Mumbai : Starting November, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will enforce a new environment by-law with tougher penalties against pollution violations, especially at construction sites flouting dust control norms.
Currently, violators are penalised under the Solid Waste Management (SWM) by-laws with fines between ₹2,000 and ₹10,000. However, the BMC’s Environment Department lacks direct authority to collect fines. The new by-law will empower the department to independently impose and recover penalties for environmental breaches, including violations by construction sites, bakeries, food stalls, and instances of waste burning.
Over the last three months, 1,646 construction sites were found violating dust-control rules. Of these, 1,156 received show-cause notices, while work was stopped at 490 sites until compliance.
The civic guidelines mandate green cloth or jute enclosures, 25-foot-high sheet metal covers, prompt clearance of waste, and wheel-cleaning measures for vehicles. Bonfires and wood burning at construction sites have also been banned, particularly to curb winter pollution when the city’s air quality typically worsens.
