Mumbai Air Pollution: BMC Clears ₹11.28 Crore Third-Party Audit Of Construction Site AQI Monitors Amid Corporators’ Questions

On November 4, 2026, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) approved a proposal to appoint an external agency to conduct a third-party audit of air-quality monitors installed at construction sites. The decision came after a contentious debate at the Standing Committee meeting, where corporators questioned the need for external oversight when the BMC already employs 68 flying squads to enforce dust mitigation guidelines.

The Congress group leader, Ashraf Azmi, criticized the tender, pointing out a 22-month delay between the Bombay High Court's January 9, 2025, order to install AQI monitors at construction sites and the BMC's announcement of the third-party audit tender on July 17, 2026. He further questioned what concrete action would be taken against sites violating dust mitigation norms.

BJP corporator Priti Satam also raised concerns over the effectiveness of the special squads, alleging that show-cause notices were not being issued to construction sites violating the guidelines. Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Amey Ghole questioned the BMC's confidence in its own officials, calling for an external agency if the civic body was unsure of its own monitoring machinery.

BMC's Additional Municipal Commissioner (Projects), Abhijeet Bangar, defended the need for a third-party audit, stating that the number of air-quality sensors installed at construction sites had risen over the past one-and-a-half years. Mumbai now hosts more than 3,000 construction sites, monitored by these 68 flying squads. Work-stoppage orders can be issued where violations are detected, but corporators emphasized the necessity of swift and concrete action to curb pollution, asserting that merely deploying inspection teams would not suffice.