In a shocker for Mumbaikars, who were under the impression that proximity to the sea would take care of any pollution, Mumbai’s Guardian Minister Deepak Kesarkar, citing data from the Central Pollution Control Board, said the city had an average air quality index (AQI) score of 156 while New Delhi was at 121. He attributed this to development projects such as the metro and real-estate construction. To curb pollution, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has warned that it will shut down construction sites that do not take pollution control measures.

Currently, there are about 6,000 construction sites in Mumbai, including road infrastructure, metro-rail and other real-estate projects. Also, it is possible that construction activity has more than doubled on account of the 50 per cent premium (fees for approval) waiver announced by the Maharashtra government in 2021 In January 2021?, the state had approved a proposal to slash premium charges on real-estate projects by half until 31 December 2021.

To read the full story, CLICK HERE