Mumbai: Civic officials being picked for anti-pollution task force

Three tasks forces comprising three officials each will attempt to rein in air pollution caused by construction work, among other things, in every ward in the city. File pic/Pradeep Dhivar

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has started appointing members for the three ward-level task forces that will prevent dust pollution across the city.

These task forces, which comprise three members each, will visit spots, make reports and take punitive steps through ward offices as per the civic body's Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan.

Meanwhile, the BMC has made it mandatory for contractors to give a self-certification declaration that there is no air pollution at the project site.

As Mumbai has been witnessing high levels of pollution due to construction work for some time, the municipal commissioner formed a committee in the second week of March and asked that it submit a report to deal with the menace.

The seven-member panel constituted under Additional Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar suggested that task forces be set up at the ward level, among other things.
A civic official said, "Now, appointments for the task forces have started and some are making field visits in a few wards."

He added that each of the three task forces has a specific responsibility - building construction, sweeping of roads and fuel pollution.

According to BMC officials, the task forces will work to control airborne dust at construction sites.

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The task force looking into ongoing road and bridge construction work, including those undertaken by the BMC, will verify whether dust control precautions are being taken regularly at the project sites. It will comprise the assistant engineer (building and factories), assistant engineer (building proposal) and sub-engineer (road division). The task force will also conduct regular visits to construction or project sites to review the dust control measures in place and the technology or methods used. It will also crack down on the burning of garbage in the open.

The task force in charge of keeping track of sweeping and cleaning of the roads, comprises the assistant engineer (solid waste management), secondary engineer (conservation) and horticulture assistant (garden).

The task force monitoring the type of fuel used in establishments such as hotels, restaurants, dhabas, bakeries, restaurants and street stalls will comprise the assistant engineer (mechanical and electrical), medical officer (health) and sub-engineer (mechanical and electrical).

The three task forces' members will submit a report to the ward officer. If the rules are not implemented after the first notice is served, penal action will be taken at project sites. The task forces will be responsible for ensuring punitive action is taken against errant contractors by the ward office concerned.

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No. of members of each task force