7 months ago
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The Bombay High Court connected Friday (November 28, 2025) emphasised that portion improving Mumbai’s wide aerial prime volition necessitate a semipermanent strategy, contiguous steps tin beryllium taken to curb particulate contamination from operation sites done strict enforcement of existing norms.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad, proceeding a batch of petitions connected deteriorating AQI levels successful the city, constituted an autarkic five-member committee to inspect operation sites and verify compliance with mitigation guidelines. The sheet volition see one official each from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), 2 civilian nine representatives, and a nationalist wellness official. The squad volition beryllium provided with logistical support, transport, and information to guarantee entree to sites.
The committee is expected to submit its findings wrong a week, aft which the substance volition beryllium heard again connected December 15. The tribunal besides directed the BMC and MPCB to record an action-taken study connected measures implemented past twelvemonth to tackle aerial pollution.
“Ensure that the operation sites and particulate contamination are tackled, and it has to beryllium done instantly successful 1 to 2 weeks’ time,” the Court said.
Amicus curiae elder advocator Darius Khambata told the tribunal that particulate from operation activities remains one of the biggest contributors to Mumbai’s worsening AQI. He noted that the tribunal had issued 27 elaborate guidelines successful 2023–24, including mandatory installation of aerial prime sensors, h2o sprinkling, and covering vehicles transporting operation material. However, compliance has been poor. Of nearly 1,000 construction sites successful the city, lone 400 person sensors, and 117 of those are non-functional. Moreover, these sensors are yet to beryllium linked to a cardinal monitoring system.
Mr. Khambata warned against “knee-jerk reactions” whenever AQI spikes, calling for a concerted, semipermanent plan. “If adjacent installing monitors mandated by the tribunal successful 2023 is taking this long, it is concerning,” helium said.
The Court expressed dissatisfaction with existing monitoring mechanisms, noting that committees appointed earlier had failed to submit weekly compliance reports since March.
Senior Counsel Milind Sathe, representing the BMC, said peculiar squads behaviour random checks and contented stop-work notices for violations. However, Senior Counsel Janak Dwarkadas, appearing for NGO Vanashakti, argued that galore measures remain “only connected paper” and sought stricter enforcement.
The Court directed the BMC and the state’s nationalist wellness section to contented an advisory connected protecting citizens from aerial contamination and suggested distributing masks astatine crowded nationalist spots specified arsenic railway stations and autobus stops.
The Bench reiterated that portion vehicular emissions besides lend to pollution, it would code that aboriginal to debar orders that could pb to harassment of citizens. “Authorities volition commencement impounding and issuing challans. The orders should not pb to harassment,” the Bench observed.
