DMRC fined ₹3.8 lakh for violating pollution norms

New Delhi 
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) issued 28 challans and imposed a fine of ₹3.8 lakh on the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Friday, following repeated violations of dust-control and pollution-mitigation rules at several construction sites.

The MCD said that its south and central zones found uncovered construction materials, inadequate dust-suppression systems, missing barricades, and poor housekeeping at multiple DMRC sites.

Of the 28 challans, 24 were issued in accordance with the National Green Tribunal’s guidelines and others for violating the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Delhi’s air remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Friday.

The south zone alone issued 17 challans worth ₹1.8 lakh during an inspection of MB Road, with fines ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹50,000. Under NGT directions, no agency or contractor can store construction material on metalled roads, spill debris beyond work sites, or leave waste uncovered. Dumping that blocks drains or exposes material without proper shielding is also prohibited, an MCD official said. 

‘Zero-tolerance for non-compliance’

As Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Friday, Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa said the government had intensified checks under its Winter Action Plan. He stressed that there would be “zero tolerance for non-compliance”. “Environmental compensation of up to ₹5 lakh will be levied on agencies disregarding dust-mitigation norms. Thousands of enforcement personnel are conducting daily inspections across the city,” he said.

Delhi’s 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 364 (‘very poor’) at 4 p.m. on Friday, slightly lower than the reading of 392 recorded a day earlier, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). An AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while 401 to 500 is considered ‘severe’, a level that can harm healthy individuals and severely impact those with existing health conditions.

The Central government’s Air Quality Early Warning System forecast that Delhi’s air quality will remain in the ‘very poor’ category until Monday, with no major improvement expected over the following six days. ‘Severe’ air pollution was recorded in Hapur, Meerut and Ghaziabad, while several other north Indian cities continued to reel under ‘very poor’ air quality.