PUNE: After receiving a complaint, Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram visited a construction site in Kothrud on Wednesday and issued a stop-work order for failing to control air pollution.
Kotibhaskar Infra and Developers was constructing the Kavilaya Co-operative Society building. Because necessary precautions were not taken, dust covered the road, forcing vehicles to use headlights when driving through the area. Against this background, the municipal commissioner took serious note of the issue and issued a stop-work order for the project.
Soon after issuing the order, Ram said, “It is important to follow all the pollution-related rules at construction sites. No one will be spared if the rules are violated.”
He also expressed anger over the administrative officers’ failure to enforce pollution rules.
Commenting on the move, city engineer Aniruddha Pavaskar said, “We have received many complaints about air pollution due to construction work in the city. The PMC issued 220 stop work notices in the city over the last two months.”
The increasing air pollution from construction dust in the city is raising citizens’ health concerns. The PMC plans to mandate the installation of air quality sensors at the construction sites of 1,000 sq metre and more, which would be tracked through live board by the civic administration.
The civic body asked all developers to use green nets on construction sites and take all other necessary precautions to avoid dust, warning that failure to comply would invite action.
