The National Green Tribunal, NGT, has directed Real Estate Sector in the National Capital Region to check air pollution caused by dust emanating from construction sites. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar Friday ordered an immediate halt to all construction activity in the national capital region that do not follow rules stipulated in the 2010 guidelines of the environment ministry.

He also directed that every workers working on the construction site or engaged in loading and unloading of building materials should be provided with masks. Justice Kumar said, any developer, if found violating the orders, shall be liable to pay a fine of 50 thousand rupees.

The bench also directed every builder and owner to put tarpaulin sheets around area of construction and said no person including builder and owner would be permitted to throw construction material particularly sand on the roads or inside colonies. It said that construction material of any kind that is stored at the building site would be properly covered so that it does not disperse through air.

All construction material and debris shall be carried in trucks or vehicles, which are fully covered. The Tribunal also directed all concerned authorities to take appropriate measures to ensure that all these directions as well as its earlier directions are complied with.