Noida: A director and three engineers were among 34 people arrested on Saturday from sites of five real estate groups in Noida and Greater Noida for allegedly violating the ban on construction activities imposed in Delhi-NCR over an alarming spike in pollution, officials said.
The crackdown on violators came a day after the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, a panel mandated by the Supreme Court, declared a “public health emergency” in the Delhi-NCR and banned construction activity till November 5 in the region.
Also, two ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants were seized from a project site of Wave Infratech in Noida, while a penalty of Rs5 lakh was slapped on Blue Walk Pathway group in Greater Noida (West), and notices served on Mahagun and Gaurs group for violating guidelines on containing air pollution, the officials said.
A joint inspection was carried out by officials from the regional office of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the district administration and the dist police, a senior official said.
“33 people were arrested from 4 sites in Noida by City Magistrate, while 1 was held by Dy Collector in Dadri. The action has been taken to ensure EPCA rules’ implementation and in public interest.”
