The 135th meeting of the Enforcement Task Force (ETF) of the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and nearby areas recently took place, focusing on enforcement actions carried out between July 1 and July 13. The discussions centred on inspections and the current compliance status throughout the National Capital Region (NCR). During this 14-day period, the Commission’s Flying Squads executed a total of 175 inspections across various sectors.

Included in these inspections were 17 construction and demolition (C&D) sites, 90 industrial units, and 68 related to diesel generators (DG). The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change reported that several violations were identified, leading to recommendations for the closure of one project or industry, sealing of 19 DG sets, and the issuance of nine compliance directions.

Additionally, environmental compensation was proposed in four instances to address lapses in adherence to standards. The ETF reviewed the enforcement actions following their previous meeting, confirming that actionable cases in the industrial sector, C&D sector, and DG set inspections had been appropriately addressed by relevant agencies.

Resumption Orders Issued After Compliance Verification

During the meeting, it was confirmed that a total of 25 resumption orders had been issued after successful verification of compliance. The distribution of these orders was as follows: two in Delhi, 11 in Haryana, 10 in Uttar Pradesh, and two in Rajasthan. This indicates a proactive approach to ensuring that entities comply with regulations before being allowed to resume operations.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change further elaborated on the cumulative enforcement status as of the meeting date. Overall, the CAQM Flying Squads have inspected 27,925 units, projects, and entities since their inception. These inspections have resulted in 1,803 closure directions being issued. Importantly, out of those, 1,446 resumption orders have been granted after verifying compliance with environmental standards.

In addition, the review identified 126 cases transferred to various State Pollution Control Boards (SPCBs) and the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) for final decision-making, while 231 entities are still under examination for the issuance of resumption orders.

Road Redevelopment Works and Future Directions

The ETF also reviewed the ongoing road redevelopment efforts conducted by Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam, which are aligned with the Commission’s Standard Framework. Recent inspections covered 42 road stretches, amounting to approximately nine kilometres, predominantly featuring roads with a Right of Way (RoW) of less than 10 metres.

Encouragingly, all inspected stretches were found to have complete end-to-end paving, meeting the necessary compliance standards set forth by the Commission. Furthermore, the CAQM reiterated the significance of adopting the Standard Framework by all road-owning agencies across Delhi-NCR to effectively mitigate road dust pollution.

To enhance the enforcement mechanisms, the Commission emphasised the importance of timely compliance verification, improved inter-agency coordination, and strict enforcement of air pollution norms. The meeting highlighted the need for increased inspection efficiency, accountability, and expedited actions in priority sectors like industrial emissions, DG sets, and construction activities, aiming for a comprehensive approach to pollution control in the NCR.

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