Air pollution: Rs 24.30-lakh fine imposed on 39 GRAP violations in Noida

As many as 39 violations of GRAP III were recorded in Noida and penalties worth Rs 24.30 lakh were imposed on offenders, including real estate developers, on Friday, officials said.

As many as 26 challans were issued by the Noida authority, while 13 cases were recorded by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (Noida office).

The air quality index (AQI) in Noida was recorded at 428 (severe) at 4 pm on Friday.

The Noida authority said in a statement it imposed penalties worth Rs 13.80 lakh on 26 entities flouting GRAP guidelines. The authority said its 14 teams are daily inspecting construction sites, roads and open spaces to ensure compliance of the GRAP rules.

Additionally, the pollution control board, imposed fines of Rs 10.50 lakh on 13 entities, including a penalty of Rs 5 lakh on a real estate developer, UPPCB's Regional Officer Utsav Sharma said.

Meanwhile, the Noida Federation of Apartment Owners Association (NOFAA) demanded an odd-even scheme for vehicles to curb pollution.

NOFAA also called for implementing road rationing scheme, on lines of Delhi, to fight the menace.

Decrease the number of private vehicles plying on roads by 50 per cent. (It) could be (done) through odd-even plan for vehicles for next two to three months, NOFAA president Rajiva Singh wrote in a letter to the local authority.

NOFAA also expressed concerns over dust on roads, besides construction and demolition (C&D)waste contributing heavily to the deteriorating air quality in Noida.

All footpaths and roads need to me made completely dust free. Mechanical sweeping and spraying of water needs to be carried out on an urgent basis. C&D waste is still the major contributor for the poor air quality. Heavy penalties and close monitoring of construction sites are needed, Singh said.

The Centre's pollution control panel invoked GRAP III on Thursday, directing a halt on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in Delhi-NCR. Under this, restrictions are also imposed on plying BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.