Andheri bldg demolished without following AQI norms, builder receives stop-work notice

MUMBAI: A building on New Link Road in Andheri West was razed by the builder, throwing up dust and debris, spiking concerns among residents in the vicinity, on January 12. A video of the demolition, posted on Sunday by the Lokhandwala Oshiwara Citizen’s Association on social media platform X made the rounds, following which the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) issued a stop-work notice to the builder on Monday, until there is a compliance of guidelines.

The video showed the building being partially torn down. “It almost created a small dust storm. Earlier the demolition was being done in phases for a few days, then suddenly they razed half the building in one go. It was almost 50% of the whole building,” said the resident of an adjacent building who recorded the video.

On inspection, BMC found construction debris material uncovered, no smog guns/water sprinklers, no tarpaulin/green cloth/jute sheet to cover the building, and no wind breaking tin sheet\metal sheet, and other anomalies.

Hence, BMC issued a stop work notice, a copy of which is with HT. It states: “If the demolition of the building is not stopped immediately after this notice is served, further necessary action as per the process of law will be initiated without any further intimation by this office.”

It also stated: “The concern police station has been directed to remove all persons deputed for carrying out the said demolition of building from the place.”

On December 31, 2024, BMC implemented a 28-point guidelines, setting norms for private and public construction projects, which included setting up water sprinklers or smog guns to supress the dust, covering the debris carrying truck, covering open surfaces with a green cloth or creating a barrier to avoid the dust particles from spreading that will worsen the AQI. Stating that if a building did not have an environment management plan in place for did not follow the instructions under Mumbai Air Pollution Mitigation Plan (MAPMP), then a stop-work or show cause notice will be issued.

Residents of the vicinity complained about difficulty in breathing, “We anyway face difficultly during the winter season, with cold and air pollution. At such times, incidents like this only worsen our conditions. I live on the seventh floor with my window facing the demolished building. The dust blew directly into our house and my condition worsened for a while,” said A M Bhujade, 72, an asthmatic patient.

Similarly, Ashoke Pande, a 63-year-old resident in the adjacent building, said, “We don’t have a problem with the demolitions and construction but whatever is done should be in a controlled manner without creating problems to others. My wife struggled with breathing after they razed the building. We cannot keep our windows open”.

Environment department officials from BMC could not be reached for a comment but earlier in the day, the civic body’s post on platform ‘X’ read, “Stop Work Notice under Section 354 (A) has been issued to the concerned builder/developer/architect/owner for non-compliance with dust pollution control norms, including the absence of wind-breaking sheets, water sprinkling and proper debris management. Strict action will be taken to ensure adherence to guidelines”.