New Delhi: In a major enforcement push to check air pollution, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) carried out an extensive inspection drive in Haryana’s Nuh district, covering both conforming and non-conforming industrial areas.
The operation saw the deployment of 10 Flying Squad teams working in coordination with the district administration. Deputy commissioners, duty magistrates, officials of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and police personnel were part of the inspection teams to ensure the smooth conduct of the exercise.
A total of 105 inspections were conducted during the drive, including five construction and demolition (C&D) sites and 100 industrial units. These included 86 stone crushers, five tyre pyrolysis plants, five ready-mix concrete plants, three hot-mix plants and one screening and washing unit. The inspections were undertaken at a time when actions up to Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) were in force across the NCR.
Officials found that, in line with the GRAP Stage III schedule, almost all industrial units and C&D sites were non-operational, closed or dismantled. However, violations of Direction No. 76 of the Commission, relating to the use of diesel generator (DG) sets, were reported at three units.
Emphasising the need for strict enforcement, the Commission said such actions were critical to curbing violations and reducing emissions at the source. “Strong enforcement under the extant GRAP is essential to ensure compliance with statutory directions and to provide relief to residents living near polluting units,” the Commission stated.
The CAQM added that the ongoing enforcement drive aims to ensure that industries and C&D sites adhere to prescribed environmental norms and do not add to the region’s air pollution burden. The inspection in Nuh, it said, is part of a larger effort to intensify ground-level monitoring during the GRAP period in close coordination with NCR state governments, district authorities and concerned agencies.
(Cover Representational Photo Credit: CANVA)
