Delhi minister Gopal Rai fines construction firm for violating anti-dust guidelines

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Monday imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on a construction company building a new block at RML Hospital for violating anti-dust guidelines.

Rai, who also issued a notice to the company, announced the penalty during an inspection of the new RML Hospital block.

"The construction site is not following the regulations, so the government has issued a notice to the company. Due to this violation, the DPCC (Delhi Pollution Control Committee) has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on the company," the minister told reporters.

The construction company has been asked to fully comply with the 14-point guidelines and submit a detailed compliance report to the DPCC. Failure to submit the report would result in daily penalties, he added.

Rai said starting Monday, an anti-dust campaign has been launched in Delhi and more than 500 teams from various Delhi government departments will inspect construction sites.

"Starting today, a total of 523 teams from 13 departments will be inspecting construction sites across Delhi to ensure compliance with anti-dust measures," he said.

He mentioned that during an earlier press conference, he had announced 14-point anti-dust guidelines which all construction activities whether private, government, or personal must follow. He emphasised that any violation of these rules would lead to penalties and further action.

Rai said steps are also being taken to prevent stubble burning, including spraying of bio-decomposer on agricultural fields.

To tackle winter pollution, the Delhi government has launched a 21-point winter action plan, which was initiated on September 25.

As part of this effort, ward-level rooms have begun monitoring the implementation of the action plan across Delhi. PTI NSM DIV DIV