Karnal: Register on portal or face music, construction agencies told

Karnal, July 4

In a move to curb dust pollution due to construction activities, the Regional Officer of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in Karnal has told the construction agencies to comply with the mandated guidelines. The agencies have been asked to register on the Dust Environment Self-Assessment portal and non-compliance will attract heavy penalties. On the first violation, there is a penalty of Rs 1 lakh, said SK Arora, Regional Officer, HSPCB.

Registration on portal must

• All existing and upcoming projects involving construction and demolition on plots equal to or larger than 500 sq m must register on the web portal
• The agencies are also required to self-monitor and audit their activities, ensuring compliance with the mandatory guidelines
• The projects within the urban municipal areas and on plots equal to or larger than 500 sq m must implement video fencing with remote control capabilities, which will be integrated into the portal

All existing and upcoming projects involving construction and demolition on plots equal to or larger than 500 sq m must register on the web portal, he said. The agencies are also required to self-monitor and audit their activities, ensuring compliance with the mandatory guidelines.

“A self-assessment for dust control measures must be conducted and uploaded on the web portal on a fortnightly basis, along with a self-declaration,” he said.

The Haryana State Atmosphere Control Board, as directed by the Commission for Air Quality Management dated June 11, 2021, had developed an online system for self-assessment by the construction agencies through the portal “dustapphspcb.com, he asserted.

The projects within the urban municipal areas and on plots equal to or larger than 500 sq m must implement video fencing with remote control capabilities, which will be integrated into the portal, Arora said.

Reliable low-cost PM 2.5 and PM 10 sensors must be installed at project sites and connected to a cloud storage platform. The live data feed from these sensors should be displayed on the web portal, he added.

The projects within rural areas and on plots ranging from 5,000 to 10,000 sq m must install anti-smog guns. An additional anti-smog gun must be installed at a height of 5,000 square m, Arora said.