Telangana pollution board pushes for closures over construction dust

The Telangana Pollution Control Board has recommended closure orders and bank guarantee forfeitures for several construction projects in Sangareddy district following heavy dust pollution complaints. Officials received multiple complaints about air pollution from building sites in Tellapur and Kollur.

Inspections And Violations

The board sent Rolling Task Force Teams to inspect these sites and check if they followed environmental rules. The teams found that dust from the work was making air pollution worse and spotted many rule violations across 16 reviewed projects. Based on how bad the rule-breaking was, the committee advised shutting down projects with serious violations and taking away their bank guarantees. Projects with minor issues will also lose their bank guarantees, and all named projects have ten days to fix their problems.

Specific Cases Found

Three projects started building work without getting a Consent for Establishment from the board, leading to closure recommendations. Two other sites kept building even though the board had previously ordered them to stop work and had not given permission to start again. A Ready Mix Concrete plant linked to another project was also working without a Consent for Operation and lacked proper air pollution control gear, prompting the committee to recommend shutting it down too.

Context

Construction dust is a major source of urban air pollution, often carrying fine particles that lower air quality and affect public health. Environmental boards use permits like consent to establish and operate to ensure builders put dust control measures in place before work begins.