The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) had earlier issued Direction No. 85 dated 02.12.2024 for prevention and mitigation of air pollution from construction and demolition activities in the National Capital Region (NCR). The direction mandated strict compliance with dust mitigation measures prescribed under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016, and guidelines issued by MoEFCC, CPCB, SPCBs/DPCC, and other competent authorities. For more effective field-level enforcement, certain modifications to the concluding paragraph of Direction No. 85 have been considered necessary.

The paragraph of Direction No. 85 is hereby modified as follows:

“NOW, THEREFORE, towards ensuring strict implementation of various directions, advisories, orders issued by the Commission in this regard, the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules, 2016 issued by MoEFCC and various dust mitigation measures stipulated from time to time by other concerned authorities viz. CPCB, SPCBs / DPCC and other agencies under the State Governments / GNCTD, the Commission, in exercise of powers under Section 14(2), authorises the Member-Secretaries and other Officers serving at least in pay level 11 (7th CPC) or equivalent of the Pollution Control Boards in NCR States of Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, and DPCC, to file a complaint/prosecution before the Jurisdictional Judicial Magistrate in cases of gross violations of directions/orders in respect of dust/air pollution control and mitigation measures at such sites, besides ordering closure of such sites and imposition/realisation of environment compensation charges in such cases of gross violations.

Amendment of Direction No. 85 – Partial modification to Direction No. 85 dated 02.12.2024:
Provided that any complaint required to be filed by any Officer other than the Member Secretary shall only be filed with the prior approval of the respective Member Secretary on a case-to-case basis.

All other stipulations under Direction No. 85 will remain unaltered.