December 26, 2025: Construction activity across Navi Mumbai has come under intensified scrutiny, with the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) issuing a strong warning to developers over strict adherence to air and noise pollution norms. Projects found violating prescribed standards now face the risk of being halted or even losing statutory permissions.
The action follows a high-level review meeting chaired by NMMC Commissioner Dr Kailas Shinde, attended by more than 70 developers and architects. The meeting was convened in the wake of stern observations made by the Bombay High Court regarding unchecked pollution emanating from construction sites across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
According to civic officials, a High Court-appointed monitoring committee recently carried out inspections at multiple construction locations, including civic road works and a ready-mix concrete plant in Turbhe. The committee flagged serious lapses in the implementation of dust-control and mitigation measures on the ground, stressing the need for uniform and uncompromising enforcement across all ongoing projects.
As part of the enhanced surveillance framework, all construction sites in Navi Mumbai will now be mandated to install CCTV cameras and real-time air quality display boards. These systems will be linked to a centralised monitoring platform accessible to both NMMC and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). Any breach of permissible air quality limits will automatically trigger alerts, enabling swift enforcement action.
To further strengthen monitoring, the civic body plans to install 55 additional Air Quality Monitoring Stations (AQMS), ensuring one monitoring unit for every two square kilometres within city limits.
The NMMC is also shifting away from temporary mitigation methods such as fogging, opting instead for systematic road washing—particularly along major corridors like the Thane–Belapur Road and the Sion–Panvel Highway—to prevent dust from becoming airborne again.
Excavation and road-digging works will now be governed by tighter timelines, with contractors expected to complete work within 24 hours wherever possible and clear debris daily. Illegal dumping of construction and demolition waste will attract stringent penalties.
Officials reiterated that failure to comply with the prescribed Standard Operating Procedures could result in immediate work stoppages and cancellation of building permissions. With winter conditions worsening dust pollution, the civic message is unequivocal: comply with pollution norms or face shutdowns.
