Penalty For Flouting Air Quality Norms In Delhi Is A Good Idea

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ruled that the developers who flout air quality norms through their construction activities in the National Capital Region (NCR) and cause dust pollution will have to pay a penalty.

According to the NGT, defaulters will have to pay an environment compensation based on their plot size every time they default. So, if a developer with a plot area of more than 20,000 square metres (sqm) flouts the norms, he will have to pay Rs 5 lakh as a penalty. If the developer's plot size was between 20,000 sqm and 500 sqm, he would have had to pay Rs 50,000 as a penalty. Similarly, if his plot size was between 500 and 200 sqm, he would have had to shell out Rs 30,000. For plot sizes between 100 and 200 sqm, this fine will be Rs 20,000, and for 100 sqm or less, the penalty would be Rs 10,000.

The green tribunal has also directed municipal bodies in the national capital to ensure there is no open burning of waste and impose a fine of Rs 5,000 in the case of any default.

But will these provisions of monetary compensation really help improve Delhi's air quality? They might; after all, monetary repercussions work better as a matter of fact.

In the light of the NGT's latest directive, PropGuide takes a look at the air quality worries in the national capital and how they could be addressed.

Construction activity in NCR

The NCR is a hotbed of construction activity. Every improvement in the existing infrastructure means that multiple huge clouds of dust will flow for days, even months, filling the city's air with dangerous particles that are hazardous enough to make people very sick. When developers build without being held accountable for the damage they cause to the environment, irresponsible construction activities grow further. We surely need better roads, better transport and better houses. However, in the absolute absence of clean air, none of this might make any sense in the times to come.

Delhi's air quality

A World Bank study that conducted surveys in 1,600 cities across 90 countries found that India's national capital Delhi had the worst air quality in the world. Studies also suggest air pollution is the fifth-biggest cause of deaths in the city. The industrial growth that the city has seen over decades has certainly not come without a huge cost.

The Delhi High Court in 2015 declared that pollution levels in the national capital had reached alarming levels and living here was “akin to living in a gas chamber”. The HC had then directed the state and the Centre to prepare a “comprehensive” action plan to tackle the issue. Stating that dust particles and vehicular emissions were the two primary causes of air pollution in Delhi, the court had asked authorities to handle the issues with utmost caution.

Steps taken in recent months

Starting with vehicles, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had introduced the odd-even road-rationing scheme. While the CM also received criticism for the move, it was actually his government's desperate attempt to combat the monstrous air pollution problems in Delhi. The results, however, were not as good as expected. According to a report by The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) after the first phase was implemented from January 1 to January 15 this year, “congestion levels were reduced, but limited reductions were observed in air pollutant concentrations”. Regulations were put in place to minimise dust generation, too, but not much progress was seen in that direction, either.

Now, the NGT ruling is surely a move in the right direction. However, it remains to be seen if monetary repercussions would dissuade people from mishandling the environment.