Anti-dust campaign: Delhi govt to launch online portal for C&D waste management

New Delhi, Oct 6 (IANS) The Delhi government will launch an online portal on Thursday for management of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the national capital by enabling the construction agencies to self-audit themselves.

"Those working at the construction sites will be able to audit themselves online as this new portal will have a complete checklist of the construction companies and which of the 14-point guidelines they have been following or not. This process will give the owners of these companies as well as the Delhi government, a complete picture as to what is actually happening on the ground," Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai said on Wednesday.

With help of the data, the Delhi government will prepare a graded marking system which will strengthen their anti-dust campaign, the Minister added.

On September 17, the Delhi government held a meeting with more than 50 private construction agencies, giving them 14-point guidelines that will be mandatory for them to follow while carrying out construction work in the national capital.

The 14-point guidelines include setting up of dust/wind-breaking walls of appropriate height around periphery of the construction site, installation of anti-smog guns for more than 20,000 square metre built-up area, anti-dust masks along with arrangements for medical help, investigation and treatment for every construction worker working in the site.

In an interview to IANS, Gopal Rai said, "The construction agencies were given a time frame of 15 days, which is over now. So, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) teams will soon visit the various construction sites under the anti-dust campaign in Delhi and action will be taken against all those found violating these guidelines."

A total 31 teams, comprising 17 teams of DPCC engineers and 14 of Green Marshals, have been set up by Aam Aadmi Party-led government to check construction sites in Delhi.