Haryana Pollution Board Shuts Ten Construction Sites In Gurugram Over Dust Rules

The Haryana State Pollution Control Board ordered the closure of ten construction and demolition sites in Gurugram North for failing to follow dust-control rules and install required cameras and air-quality sensors despite repeated warnings. The action is part of a growing enforcement drive against sites adding to dust pollution in the city, where air quality fell to the very poor category for the first time this season with an air quality index of 319. Last week, the board issued closure notices to 225 construction and demolition sites in Gurugram North for failing to register on the state dust-monitoring portal and follow pollution-control rules. Gurugram has more than 900 active construction and demolition sites, and all of them must follow dust-mitigation rules laid down by the Commission for Air Quality Management. Under these rules, construction projects on plots measuring 500 square metres or more must register on the state portal and install geo-fenced pan-tilt-zoom cameras and low-cost PM2.5 and PM10 sensors. Live camera feeds must link to the pollution board portal and the commission command and control centre in Delhi.

Further Action

Deputy commissioner Uttam Singh issued an order banning all dust-generating construction and demolition work across Gurugram from November 5 to 20 to follow commission directions. The sixteen-day ban covers highways, roads, flyovers, overbridges, pipelines and other linear public infrastructure projects. Projects related to railways, metro services, airports, hospitals, water supply, sanitation, national security and projects of national importance are exempt if they follow dust-control rules. The administration also told government and private offices to limit physical attendance to 50 percent during this period, while the rest work from home, though industrial units and essential services are exempt. Officials will conduct daily checks, and rule breakers face action under the Commission for Air Quality Management Act, 2021.

Context

Winter weather patterns and low wind speeds frequently trap dust and smoke across northern India, causing severe air pollution spikes in cities like Gurugram. Government bodies use temporary bans on construction and office attendance limits as emergency measures to lower particulate matter levels when air quality turns hazardous.