Amid worsening smog and sharply deteriorating air quality, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has intensified its enforcement drive against dust-generating construction activity. The civic body has issued notices to 79 developers and expanded dust-suppression and deep-cleaning operations across major corridors, industrial zones and rapidly developing nodes.
Over the past week, real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) dashboards have shown a steep decline in air quality across the city. Night-time readings in Rabale and Ghansoli slipped into the ‘Very Poor’ category, with one Rabale monitor touching AQI 280. Several areas, including Ghansoli, Mahape, Airoli and Rabale, consistently fell into the ‘Unhealthy’ band, while PM2.5 levels crossed 100 µg/m³. Citywide AQI hovered between 145 and 165, prompting officials to push for immediate compliance.
The action follows the Bombay High Court’s 2023 directive requiring strict implementation of dust and noise-control norms at all construction sites in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Municipal Commissioner Kailas Shinde, who reviewed the situation with senior officials, reaffirmed that the SOP issued on August 1, 2024, will be enforced without exception. “Citizens are already suffering from smog,” he said. “Developers and businesses must act responsibly. Pollution control is not optional—it is mandatory.”
During a citywide inspection, officials found widespread violations, including non-functional fogging and sprinkling systems, poor barricading, lack of wheel-wash facilities, uncovered construction materials and debris being transported in open vehicles. Developers have been given eight days to rectify lapses, failing which their work may be stopped for up to a week.
Ward-level teams comprising engineers, health inspectors and sanitation personnel are conducting daily surprise inspections across all major nodes. These checks cover construction sites, ready-mix concrete plants, stone quarries and even commercial kitchens operating coal-fired tandoors. Senior NMMC officials have also begun ground inspections at large township projects in Nerul, Kharghar, Airoli and Ghansoli—a strategy previously used during severe smog phases to fast-track compliance at high-impact sites.