Rai fines construction firm for flouting anti-dust rules

New Delhi : Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday slapped a fine of Rs 50,000 on a construction company building a sports complex in Pitampura in northwest Delhi for violating anti-dust guidelines. Paying a visit to the construction site, Rai also warned to take stringent action, including slapping fines, against all the non-compliant contractors.

Speaking to reporters on-site, Rai said, “Despite repeated instructions to follow the anti-dust campaign rules, I found that the necessary measures were not implemented in this construction site. This site being less than 20,000 square metre, it is required to strictly comply with the dust-control norms.”

“A fine of Rs 50,000 has been imposed on the construction agency for the violations. I warn that if the issues persist, further stringent action will be taken,” the minister added. As part of an ongoing anti-dust campaign launched by the Delhi government on October 7, Rai earlier convened a meeting at the Delhi Secretariat with the representatives from 120 private and government construction agencies.

Rai said, “On October 7, I visited a few construction sites and observed that the concerned agencies were not following the rules. So I called all the 120 construction agencies, both government and private, to the Secretariat to brief them on the importance of following the anti-dust protocols. I have issued detailed instructions on compliance and asked them to strictly adhere to them.” The minister also said that starting Monday, 523 monitoring teams have been formed to conduct regular inspections at construction sites across Delhi.