December 24, 2025: The Bombay High Court has strongly criticised the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for failing to strictly enforce air pollution control norms, a day after a court-appointed committee flagged widespread violations at construction and infrastructure sites across Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. The five-member panel had inspected 36 sites and reported multiple breaches of prescribed pollution-control guidelines.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the Division Bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Akhand summoned BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and MPCB Member Secretary Devendra Singh to explain the apparent inaction by their agencies. The court’s intervention followed submissions by amicus curiae Darius Khambata, who pointed out that the committee’s findings showed an alarming lack of monitoring at pollution hotspots, particularly construction sites.
Warning of the consequences of delayed action, the Bench remarked, “If things go out of hand, then nothing will remain within your control,” drawing a comparison with Delhi’s recurring winter pollution crisis. The judges stressed that authorities must adopt long-term, sustainable strategies rather than seasonal or ad-hoc measures. The court has now directed BMC and MPCB to submit a comprehensive, actionable plan to curb air pollution across Mumbai, with the matter scheduled for further hearing on Wednesday. The case stems from a suo motu public interest litigation initiated in 2023 following a sharp deterioration in the city’s air quality.
Responding on behalf of the BMC, senior advocate S.U. Kamdar said the civic chief conducted surprise inspections at two sites in mid-October and last reviewed compliance on October 28. He informed the court that since November, the BMC has issued 433 show-cause notices and 148 stop-work orders for violations. Kamdar also stated that while 1,080 air quality monitors have been installed citywide, only 675 are currently relaying data, with efforts underway to fix non-functional units.
However, the Bench clarified that it did not intend to stall development, but emphasised that negligence by builders and weak enforcement could no longer be overlooked. Khambata reiterated that construction activity and road dust are major pollution sources and urged strict enforcement of measures such as water fogging, site covering, CCTV installation, sensor-based monitoring and proper barricading, noting that only about one-third of sites currently report AQI data despite existing guidelines.
Source: Hindustan Times
