The Supreme Court’s order to lift the ban on new constructions comes as a surprise as the solution to disposing debris has not been tackled which was the reason why the ban was imposed. Mumbai would soon turn into a dumping yard with the amount of ongoing construction — be it on account of metro or other infrastructure coming up at every street corner. When a person dies, the body is given a respectful burial. The same is with debris which has to be disposed off respectfully to save environment from pollution. The SC judgement comes with a rider and the onus of disposing debris is on builders but corruption rules roost and not sure how lakhs of tonnes of waste and debris can be disposed off when there is no space left in and around Mumbai for this purpose.
Recycling of debris is the need of the hour and eco-friendly buildings should come up using modern technology so that future redevelopments don’t face debris issues. Not sure if the builders are excited as there is lot of unsold inventory in the markets with no buyers in sight. Also, the relaxation in rules is only for 6 months after which it would be reviewed by the authorities. These half measures is what surprises us all when there should have been an concrete solution found before the ban was lifted!
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
