Latest news with #MunicipalCorporationofFaridabad
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC deadline nears, illegal buildings in protected Aravalis face bulldozers
GURUGRAM : Just a month-and-a-half to go for a Supreme Court-ordered deadline, the forest department and Faridabad administration on Wednesday started a 15-day demolition drive to remove all illegal construction and encroachments from protected Aravali land in the district. Officials said around a dozen banquet halls, boundary walls, gates and farmhouses that were built in Anangpur village of Faridabad were razed on Wednesday. This area is protected under Section 4 (special orders) of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which bars construction and any non-forest activities in forests. "We have started the demolition drive. We appeal to people to remove illegal encroachment themselves," a senior forest official said. Haryana govt ordered the demolition drive after the Supreme Court gave the state a three-month extension to clear protected Aravalis of illegal construction. SC, in July 2022, had ruled that all Aravali land under PLPA (special orders) should be treated as forest, with provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act applicable there, and any illegal construction should be demolished. Despite clear directives, Haryana over the years did not complete the task, having razed some 30 structures in four villages of Faridabad since the 2022 ruling. The apex court will take up the case next on Sept 8. The 15-day time frame was given to the Faridabad administration after a meeting chaired by chief secretary Anurag Rastogi on June 7. "All unauthorised constructions, including boundary walls — whether built before or after the 2021 survey—must be demolished within 15 days. The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad will oversee the removal of debris, with all costs to be borne by the property owners," read a document on minutes of the meeting. The Faridabad district magistrate will have to submit an action-taken report to the chief secretary, who also said the DM will be held accountable for any delay. Rastogi will hold another review meeting on June 27. On Wednesday, environmentalists said Faridabad was not the only Haryana district where protected Aravali forests have been encroached on. "Although demolition has begun in four villages of Faridabad after nearly three years, the order actually applies to special orders of Section 4 PLPA on all of Haryana, not just these villages. So far, no other districts have initiated the drive," said Sunil Harsana, an ecologist and wildlife expert. After SC's 2022 order, Haryana forest department had carried out a survey to identify illegal construction and found that 6,973 structures – most of them banquet halls and residential settlements – were built over protected PLPA land in four villages of Faridabad. A majority of these were in Anangpur (5,948) and the remaining in Ankhir, Lakkarpur, and Mewla Maharajpur. No such survey has been organised in Gurgaon. But activists allege that illegal construction is rampant in the Aravalis of Sohna, Raisina and Gwalpahari in the city, all of which are also protected by PLPA's special orders.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
SC deadline nears, illegal buildings in protected Aravalis face bulldozers
Gurgaon: Just a month-and-a-half to go for a Supreme Court-ordered deadline, the forest department and Faridabad administration on Wednesday started a 15-day demolition drive to remove all illegal construction and encroachments from protected Aravali land in the district. Officials said around a dozen banquet halls, boundary walls, gates and farmhouses that were built in Anangpur village of Faridabad were razed on Wednesday. This area is protected under Section 4 (special orders) of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which bars construction and any non-forest activities in forests. "We have started the demolition drive. We appeal to people to remove illegal encroachment themselves," a senior forest official said. Haryana govt ordered the demolition drive after the Supreme Court gave the state a three-month extension to clear protected Aravalis of illegal construction. SC, in July 2022, had ruled that all Aravali land under PLPA (special orders) should be treated as forest, with provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act applicable there, and any illegal construction should be demolished. Despite clear directives, Haryana over the years did not complete the task, having razed some 30 structures in four villages of Faridabad since the 2022 ruling. The apex court will take up the case next on Sept 8. The 15-day time frame was given to the Faridabad administration after a meeting chaired by chief secretary Anurag Rastogi on June 7. "All unauthorised constructions, including boundary walls — whether built before or after the 2021 survey—must be demolished within 15 days. The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad will oversee the removal of debris, with all costs to be borne by the property owners," read a document on minutes of the meeting. The Faridabad district magistrate will have to submit an action-taken report to the chief secretary, who also said the DM will be held accountable for any delay. Rastogi will hold another review meeting on June 27. On Wednesday, environmentalists said Faridabad was not the only Haryana district where protected Aravali forests have been encroached on. "Although demolition has begun in four villages of Faridabad after nearly three years, the order actually applies to special orders of Section 4 PLPA on all of Haryana, not just these villages. So far, no other districts have initiated the drive," said Sunil Harsana, an ecologist and wildlife expert. After SC's 2022 order, Haryana forest department had carried out a survey to identify illegal construction and found that 6,973 structures – most of them banquet halls and residential settlements – were built over protected PLPA land in four villages of Faridabad. A majority of these were in Anangpur (5,948) and the remaining in Ankhir, Lakkarpur, and Mewla Maharajpur. No such survey has been organised in Gurgaon. But activists allege that illegal construction is rampant in the Aravalis of Sohna, Raisina and Gwalpahari in the city, all of which are also protected by PLPA's special orders.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Climate
- Time of India
Dust, industrial & vehicle emissions top contributors to Faridabad air pollution
Faridabad: A first of its kind study in Faridabad shows that the NCR city's air is a swirl of road and construction dust, and industrial and vehicular emissions – the three largest contributors to pollution throughout the year. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The study, conducted by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) for Municipal Corporation of Faridabad under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), estimated that road and construction dust contributes up to 51% of PM10 pollutant. Industrial emissions – primarily from coal and diesel combustion — account for 38% of PM2.5, the more dangerous and lung-penetrating particulate matter (PM). Vehicular pollution is responsible for 91% of nitrogen oxides (NOx) — gases that contribute to smog and exacerbate respiratory illnesses — as well as carbon monoxide (CO) and non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs). Tailpipe emissions make up for 7% of PM10 and 10% of PM2.5, the study titled 'Ambient Air Pollution Source Apportionment Study of Faridabad' found. "This report provides Faridabad with a scientific foundation for policy and regulatory decisions and underscores the need for urgent and sustained action to improve public health and quality of life in the city," said Ved Prakash Sharma, one of the lead researchers of the study. Pollution, round the year in the city According to the report, the dominant pollutant at a specific time changes as seasons shift. Dust, for instance, accounts for the largest chunk of pollution in the summer months because dry winds aid its suspension. In winter, pollution spikes as cold weather and calm winds allow PM2.5 and PM10 – released from farm fires, among other sources -- to linger in the air. The study highlighted that 40% of winter pollution originates outside the city's borders, underscoring the need for regional coordination and inter-city policies. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "During winter, stubble burning from farms is a key contributor to pollution in Faridabad, as is the case for most of Delhi-NCR. It also depends on the wind direction," Sharma said. The researcher said this contrast between summer and winter pollution profiles must prompt govts to take a dynamic approach for mitigating pollution. "In summer, govt must prioritise dust suppression measures such as mechanised street sweeping, water sprinkling, and enforcing construction site controls. On the other hand, winter pollution is largely driven by vehicular emissions, biomass burning and industrial activity. So, stricter enforcement of emission norms becomes critical. A one-size-fits-all policy won't work," Sharma said. Despite the seasonal variations, pollution levels were high all year long. The TERI study – which assessed air quality at industrial, residential, commercial, kerbside and background sites during summer and winter – found that PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were far beyond India's safe limits. In summer 2022, average PM10 was 305-364 µg/m³. The limit is 100 µg/m³. Similarly, in the winter of 2023, PM2.5 scaled 126 µg/m³, more than twice the maximum limit of 60 µg/m³. Warning, and the way ahead If the current trends persist, Sharma said, particulate matter emissions are likely to increase 57-65% by 2035. But, if the city gets its act together, it could significantly reduce pollution, the study said. Possible interventions listed for the transport sector include shifting to electric vehicles, phasing out older diesel vehicles, addressing issues that lead to regular traffic jams at specific spots, introducing high rates for parking on roads and increasing penalties for violating norms. To reduce residential and industrial emissions, the report says the focus must remain on switching to cleaner fuels such as LPG and solar instead of traditional coal-powered systems. Similarly, the ban on open waste burning must be enforced and use of diesel generators should be reduced sharply. Construction sites must follow all norms to manage dust pollution, and cities should consider regular mechanised sweeping and developing green belts, the study points out. If Faridabad manages to meet its goals, PM10 level in winter can be 43% lower than the existing average by 2035, and PM2.5 can be halved. "If Faridabad rigorously implements the full suite of interventions, the city can not only reduce winter PM2.5 levels by over 40% but also meet the daily safe limits for both PM10 and PM2.5 by 2035. This is a realistic and achievable target, but it requires sustained political will, inter-agency coordination, and year-round enforcement," said Sharma said. Until now, Delhi was the only NCR city where source apportionment analysis was carried out regularly to pinpoint key causes of pollution. Shubhansh Tiwari, a research associate at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), said such research is crucial for developing "effective strategies" to reduce pollution. Faridabad was the only Haryana district to be tagged as a 'non-attainment' city under Centre's National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) because it consistently failed to meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The city was subsequently given the target of reducing PM concentrations by 20-30% by 2024, using 2017 levels as the baseline. A regional officer of the Haryana State Pollution Control Board told TOI that the agency has received the TERI report. "A detailed roadmap for air quality improvement using all possible measures has been suggested," the official said.
Time of India
06-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Waste analysis shows one-fourth of trash at Gurgaon landfills is plastic
Gurgaon: Plastic materials constitute 20-25% of the total waste in the city. Food and green waste accounts for 20-24%, while soil and sand content ranges from 20 to 24% across these locations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In the absence of a decentralised waste processing and waste segregation, all of this waste ends up at the landfill site in Bandhwari. A detailed waste analysis — sampling major secondary collection sites at Khandsa, Beri Bagh, Prempuri and Carterpuri — has revealed the breakup. MCG conducted the waste assessment following directives from the urban local bodies (ULB) department to both the city civic body and Municipal Corporation of Faridabad (MCF). MCG additional commissioner Mahabir Prasad said, "This analysis will enhance the effectiveness of our waste processing methods." After a fire incident at the landfill recently, Supreme Court expressed grave concerns and directed MCG to present an action plan for the treatment of legacy waste at the landfill. ULB officials said the ultimate goal of this exercise is to achieve complete waste diversion from landfills and moving towards a zero-waste model, which the MCG officials have been promising for years, but have miserably failed to achieve. Environmental activist Vaishali Rana said, "A city's urban waste contains plastic, food waste, etc. However, what has the MCG done so far to deal with this plastic waste? Have they tied up with any recyclers? All of this is going to Bandhwari landfill, which was on fire recently." Rana said, "What the city should be doing is clearly mentioned in the Solid Waste Management (SWM) rules, 2016. However, MCG is just going round and round in circles." Tired of too many ads? go ad free now ULB officials said this initiative aims to establish a comprehensive waste management framework across all local bodies, including Gurgaon and Faridabad. The department instructed these corporations to undertake waste segregation analysis to identify principal contributors to the waste volume. The study has said the city's waste composition primarily consists of three main components, plastic materials, organic matter (food and green waste) and soil or sand deposits. The presence of sand/soil in the waste also raises questions on the payment model that is followed in the corporations, where the agencies are paid on the basis of the quantity of waste transported to the landfill. At the Carterpuri waste collection site, samples collected revealed plastic materials comprising 24.48%, organic matter at 20.50%, sand or soil at 23.81% and textile waste at 9.93% of the total sample. The Khandsa location showed different proportions with sand/soil being predominant at 23.57%, followed by plastic materials at 22.92%, food waste at 20.45% and textiles constituting 11.10%. The sample collected from Beri Bagh displayed organic waste as the primary component at 24.8%, with plastic materials at 23.9%, sand or soil measuring 20.6% and textiles accounting for 10.4%. The Prempuri waste assessment indicated plastic materials as the highest component at 25%, while organic waste measured 22.85%, sand or soil registered 22.7% and textile waste amounted to 12.4%. ULB commissioner and secretary Vikas Gupta has said MCG and MCF "must conduct or arrange" for waste analysis and characterisation tests at least monthly at various locations within their jurisdiction. At a meeting chaired by him, he said, these tests, essential for determining the actual composition of solid waste, should be performed by NABL-accredited laboratories without exception.
