Hry, Raj dragging feet on setting up dust control portal despite CAQM's reminders

New Delhi: In the works for nearly a year now, the online mechanism for self-assessment of dust control norms by construction and demolition sites, the Commission for Air Quality Management in the NCR has pushed hard for NCR states to design a one-stop portal for construction sites to self-monitor compliance with dust control norms.

But after almost a year of nudging and repeated reminders, while Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have set up the portal, the governments of Haryana and Rajasthan have not, prompting the CAQM to issue reminders to them - but to no avail, according to officials aware of developments.

The CAQM had first in January this year, communicated to NCR states that with the increasing construction activity taking place in the Capital region, physical inspections and monitoring of dust control norms would be increasingly impossible. As a result, the commission had asked Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and UP to design online portals with the facility for "video fencing" so that construction sites can monitor compliance themselves and deposit accumulated fines accordingly.

The commission had said a robust online mechanism for monitoring dust mitigation measures is a compelling necessity to ensure strict implementation of the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules.

The "video fencing" would require mandatorily registered construction and demolition sites to set up cameras on their sites with the footage being fed into the portal for monitoring dust control compliance, anti-smog gun compliance, etc.

But even as the Delhi government inaugurated its self-assessment portal grandly and Uttar Pradesh has built one for its NCR districts, sources told Millennium Post that Haryana and Rajasthan are yet to have theirs up and running.

In the first reminder to states seeking an update on the portal, the Commission, in June this year, said that the states were yet to submit action-taken reports on setting up the portal. It again directed the four states to set up the portal. Following this, on October 1, the CAQM again issued a public directive asking the four NCR states to install the system.

One official aware of developments said, "Haryana and Rajasthan governments are yet to inform us of their portal's creation. We have reminded them in our regular meetings but they have said that it is under process."

Other officials said that the governments in Rajasthan and Haryana have been reminded to speed up the process stressing how important it is to get all construction sites registered there to effectively estimate the pollution emanating from them. This initiative makes sure that all registered sites have video fencing and low-cost emissions measuring devices with a feed to the local pollution control board — displaying real-time PM2.5 and PM10 levels at any given site.

Once set up, the portals' resources are supposed to be available to the CPCB and enforcement agencies. In addition, pollution control authorities are meant to conduct surprise visits to check for compliance.