MPCB shuts four non-compliant concrete plants in Mumbai to check air pollution
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) has shut down four ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants in Mumbai and initiated action against 37 units, recovering penalties of Rs 1.87 crore amid stepped-up measures to curb air pollution.
"Special flying squads will immediately begin inspections to verify whether prescribed conditions are being followed, and strict action, including closure, will be taken against violators," said M Devender Singh, member secretary, MPCB, referring to the action initiated against RMC plants contributing to air pollution.
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The MPCB has constituted four special inspection teams for Mumbai city and two for Navi Mumbai to conduct on-site inspections of RMC plants, following a review meeting chaired by MPCB chairman Siddhesh Kadam, according to a statement issued by Singh on Sunday.
The review focused on strengthening enforcement against units found flouting environmental norms, he said.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation recently suspended the ongoing work related to the Bullet Train in the Bandra-Kurla Complex due to non-compliance with anti-air pollution norms.
According to the MPCB, inspections so far have led to the recovery of penalties amounting to Rs 1.87 crore from 37 RMC plants, and four establishments have been ordered to shut operations over violations linked to air pollution.
Kadam, meanwhile, stated that the MPCB, in coordination with the municipal corporation, had launched a focused enforcement drive to maintain air quality in the city.
"Appropriate steps will be taken to protect air quality and stringent action will be initiated wherever required," he said.
Singh said the board has been conducting a daily review of air quality, and flying squads were being deployed to ensure compliance with conditions imposed on establishments.
He added that inspections would be carried out without delay wherever deterioration in air quality was reported.
The Mumbai Metropolitan Region has 32 continuous ambient air quality monitoring stations, of which 14 are within Mumbai city. In addition, 22 mobile monitoring vans are available and being deployed to carry out immediate measurements in areas where air quality levels decline, the board said.
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday castigated the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for turning a "blind eye" towards air pollution in the city and for "not doing anything" to mitigate the problem.
A bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad also questioned how the BMC had granted sanction to more than 125 construction projects over Rs 1,000 crore in a city like Mumbai, stating that the situation has now gone beyond the civic body's control.
The court had warned the BMC that it would issue orders restraining it from granting any further permissions for construction if the air pollution situation persists in the city.
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SRH beat KKR by 65 runs in IPL
Kolkata (PTI): Heinrich Klaasen hit a strokeful fifty as Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 65 runs in their IPL match here on Thursday.
Sent in to bat, Travis Head (46) and Abhishek Sharma (48) shared an opening stand of 82 runs off 34 balls to set up the platform, while Klaasen (52) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (39) provided the late charge as SRH posted a challenging 226 for 8.
In reply, KKR folded for 161 in 16 overs with Angkrish Raghuvanshi top-scoring with a 29-ball 52.
For KKR, Blessing Muzarabani (4/41), Vaibhav Arora (2/47) Kartik Tyagi (1/48) and Anukul Roy (1/16) shared the wickets.
For SRH, Jaydev Unadkat (3/21) snapped three wickets, while Nitish Kumar Reddy (2/17) and Eshan Malinga (2/14) picked two wickets each.
Brief Scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 226 for 8 in 20 overs (Heinrich Klaasen 52; Blessing Muzarabani 4/41).
Kolkata Knight Riders: 161 all out in 16 overs (Angkrish Raghuvanshi 52; Jaydev Unadkat 3/21, Nitish Kumar Reddy 2/17, Eshan Malinga 2/14).
