Dwarka Campaign to Stop Pollution in Delhi Gathers Momentum
The government’s oblique permission to allow extended construction in the existing upmarket flats is not addressing any housing needs in the country where millions of people are still homeless.
By Rakesh Raman
Hundreds of people are now participating in a massive campaign that urges the Delhi Government and the Government of India to stop the extended construction activity in group housing complexes.
The avoidable construction activity in the occupied housing societies of Delhi is causing deadly dust and noise pollution affecting millions of residents.
Of late, it is said, the Government of India has issued new guidelines under some vague floor area ratio (FAR) rules which allow the house owners to expand their buildings.
Although the government guidelines are totally ambiguous, the group housing complexes have started unchecked construction activities in the buildings where people are already living.
As the construction projects give enormous corruption opportunities to the managing committees of housing societies which are always eager to swindle money, they are suppressing the voice of those residents who oppose extended construction.
The dust and noise pollution emanating from the extended construction activity is bound to take its toll as it will cause severe health hazards and probable deaths among people.
In order to combat this menace, an awareness campaign has been launched in Dwarka to protect the environment by highlighting the risks of extended construction in the inhabited group housing societies.
[ Read: Delhi Residents Unite to Stop Construction and Pollution in Dwarka ]
Hundreds of people in Dwarka have come forward to participate in this environmental protection drive. They argue that the permission to allow additional construction in group housing societies is illegal because it violates the fundamental rights guaranteed to the citizens in the Constitution of India.
The Article 21 of Indian Constitution assures the citizens of India the right to a healthy, pollution-free environment – which is also a basic human right. If the extended construction is carried out in the group housing complexes where people – men, women, and children – are already living, it will deprive them of their right to live in a clean environment.
[ Life-threatening Environmental Hazard at DPS Housing Society in Delhi ]
Moreover, people contend that no activity can be legal if it poses a risk to even one person’s life. The truth is that the extended construction-related pollution will put to risk the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living in a locality. Thus, extended construction – which is driven by greed, and not by need – is an illegal activity.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) of India has also observed that one of the major sources of air pollution is dust emission from construction activities, which must be stopped to avoid pollution-related diseases and deaths.
Even if one person in a particular group housing society opposes construction, he / she wants their fundamental human right to pollution-free environment protected. So, such construction cannot be carried out in that locality.
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The government’s oblique permission to allow extended construction in the existing upmarket flats is not addressing any housing needs in the country where millions of people are still homeless.
People in the campaign suggest that the government should only focus on addressing the housing needs of homeless poor by building new low-cost houses for them. The affluent people should not be allowed to expand their swanky flats because such an expansion will be risky for people living in the buildings.
With these facts, the campaign urges the Delhi Government and the Government of India to immediately issue clear instructions to stop the extended construction activity in group housing societies of Delhi.
As the campaign is fast spreading from Dwarka to the entire city of Delhi, people are invited to participate in it by filling in a simple online form. They also can download the campaign pamphlet which they can print and circulate in their localities.
The supporters of the campaign are encouraged to use their social media accounts to inform their family and friends about the campaign which aims to ensure healthy, pollution-free living for the residents of Delhi.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a government’s National award-winning journalist and runs free school for deserving children under his NGO – RMN Foundation.
