Delhi government enforces winter construction ban to curb pollution

The Delhi Government began enforcing its Winter Action Plan on November 1 to limit air pollution by prohibiting outdoor construction and demolition work until January 31.

Authorities inspected approximately 300 construction sites every day during the first three days of the ban. Officials found that just over 15% of these sites violated the regulations. More than 70% of the enforcement actions targeted small plots measuring less than 500 sq m, which are major sources of dust.

The government ordered the closure of about 10 sites per day for serious violations. The government also penalized vehicles and transport activities. On Tuesday, officials imposed Rs 75.6 lakh in fines for pollution control violations, including issues with Pollution Under Control Certificates. The Delhi Traffic Police and the Delhi Transport department collected these fines from various violators. Additionally, officials checked around 10,000 vehicles daily and identified more than a third as non-destined vehicles that did not meet emission standards.