January 8, 2026: In a decisive move to rein in deteriorating air quality, the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Wednesday ordered the immediate shutdown of 19 construction sites and issued notices to 42 others for flouting environmental safety norms. The action comes amid rising pollution levels, with the air quality index (AQI) crossing the 200 mark in several parts of the city despite the implementation of the stringent Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-4) in late November.
Municipal commissioner Kailas Shinde said the civic body has intensified enforcement of the 27-point air pollution control guidelines issued in 2024. To ensure compliance at the ground level, flying squads consisting of assistant commissioners, civil engineers and sanitation inspectors have been deployed across all municipal wards. In addition to the site closures, the NMMC has issued show-cause notices to 10 construction sites and instruction letters to another 32 for failing to adequately control dust emissions. Penalty notices have also been served to 173 developers.
“Under the GRAP-4 guidelines, we have halted work at 19 locations where the AQI was found to be above 200,” said Shinde. “It is mandatory for every construction site to install air quality monitoring equipment. While 30 sites have already complied, work is underway to install sensors at the remaining locations.”
The commissioner pointed out that winter weather conditions, marked by low wind speeds and high humidity, tend to trap pollutants closer to the ground, resulting in fog-like conditions and elevated pollution levels across Navi Mumbai.
Responding to concerns over unusually high AQI readings reported by private agencies, particularly in areas such as Sanpada, Shinde advised residents to rely only on official data sources. He explained that many third-party applications use low-cost sensors that do not meet calibration and certification standards prescribed by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
“We have observed that the AQI reported by third-party sensors in Sanpada is significantly higher than the data from our Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations (CAAQMS). Citizens should refer to the Sameer App or the CPCB website for authentic and reliable air quality information,” he added.
To curb road dust, a major contributor to PM10 pollution, the NMMC has deployed mechanised road brushes and “Encap” vehicles that spray treated water to suppress dust. Accumulated soil along footpaths is also being cleared, followed by deep cleaning of roads using recycled water.
The civic body has warned that continued violations of standard operating procedures will result in immediate work stoppages and may even lead to cancellation of building permissions.
