Bombay HC lift on open carry ban for debris, 9,000 sites may find relief

The possibility of allowing the transportation of uncovered construction debris by trucks this week is being considered by the BMC, following the expiration of the Bombay High Court's ban on such transportation in response to the increasing pollution levels. The relaxation is expected to bring relief to 9,000 construction and demolition sites, where approximately 1.7 lakh tonnes of debris has been stagnant since the high court initially imposed the ban on November 6, extending it to November 19 four days later. In response to the alarming levels of air pollution in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the Union Environment Ministry, on October 26, instructed the state environment ministry and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to implement rigorous mitigation measures. They were also required to submit a compliance report within a week. One of the directives to the state government was to immediately prohibit the transportation of construction and demolition debris, identified as a significant source of pollution. In swift response, the MPCB, BMC, and the State Transport Commissioner's office took action to halt the transportation of such debris. The BMC even deployed officers near toll nakas to monitor and penalize violators.