Toxic air: Construction ban in Gurugram brings 3K projects to halt
Gurugram, October 30
Following directives from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), the Gurugram administration has imposed the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), Stage 3, which bans all construction and demolition activities.
Thousands of Workers left jobless
- The ban on construction is aimed at curbing dust pollution in the city
- Specific infra projects and projects of national importance exempted
- The ban has left thousands of daily wage construction workers in the lurch
The NCR air is toxic; we are banning all polluting activities. Construction and demolition activities are banned till further orders. — Nishant Yadav, Deputy Commissioner
The ban on construction activities is aimed at curbing dust pollution in the city in line with the directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM). Instructions have been issued for strict compliance with the directives. The ban will impact over 3,000 ongoing projects in Gurugram. These include residential, industrial, commercial and small-scale construction and demolition works.
“The NCR air is toxic; we are banning all polluting activities. Construction and demolition activities are banned till further orders. Specific infrastructure projects and projects of national importance allowed by the CAQM will, however, be exempted,” said Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav.
The administration and the Municipal Corporation have formed raiding teams to impose the ban.
Kuldeep Singh, regional officer, Haryana State Pollution Control Board, said construction and demolition activities had been banned in the National Capital Region (NCR), including Gurugram. He said construction activities would, however, be allowed at railway and Metro sites, airports, bus terminals, hospitals, infrastructure projects, and projects having national security implications.
The ban has left thousands of daily wage construction workers in the lurch. They have approached the Labour Department seeking orders for full payment from builders or contractors during the ban.
“We earn and then eat every day. The contractor threw us out of the job today itself. How will we feed our children? Those imposing the ban should also think about us. We should get our wages,” said Radhey Prakash of the Daily Wagers Association.
