Noida: 8 construction sites penalised for violating anti-air pollution guidelines

The Noida Authority on Monday said it has slapped penalties worth Rs 2.96 lakh on entities, including at least eight construction sites, that were found violating anti-air pollution guidelines here.

The Noida Authority on Monday said it has slapped penalties worth Rs 2.96 lakh on entities, including at least eight construction sites, that were found violating anti-air pollution guidelines here. The action included a major penalty worth Rs 1 lakh on an entity engaged in construction work, it said. It was found violating guidelines of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the authority said.

The authority has imposed penalties worth over Rs 1.65 crore since October 17 on entities contributing to air pollution here, according to compiled figures given by it. The action against polluters comes in the wake of the GRAP coming into force amid deteriorating air quality in Delhi-NCR, even as the air quality in Noida remained 'poor' on Monday.

"Varying amounts of penalties were imposed on entities not adhering to official guidelines on containing air pollution. In total, penalties worth Rs 2.96 lakh were imposed on Sunday," the authority said in a statement. It said 340 tonnes of construction and demolition waste was picked up from various locations in Noida on Monday and sent to a processing plant in Sector 80, where 100 tonnes of waste was disposed of after due process.

Road stretches -- 113 kilometres -- were sprinkled with water, while another 243 kilometres on 67 routes were cleaned mechanically by sweeping machines. Fifty-five kilometres of footpaths and streets were cleaned during the night using water treated by sewage treatment plants, the authority stated.