Pune: Breathing has become an onerous task these days in the city. Whether heading for a morning run, on the way to work, going for an evening outing or just sitting at home at night, toxic air is a constant companion. Once an invisible threat, air pollution is visibly taking over our lives. From medical interventions to reducing time spent outdoors, many are cutting corners to avoid being choked by the very air they inhale.Traffic is on the rise daily, and garbage burning incidents are an unfortunate constant, but construction dust has emerged as the new silent killer. Senior citizens, children and those with illnesses are not the only vulnerable group anymore — everyone is.
Everywhere, there’s a demand for clean air Air quality in Bavdhan, Wakad, Hinjewadi and Tathawade is constantly deteriorating, said residents, frustrated by not just unchecked construction projects but also the mushrooming of ready-mix concrete (RMC) plants around them. “You can’t open your windows for even a minute unless you plan to invite dust indoors,” Balewadi Welfare Federation (BWF) chairman Ramesh Rokade said. “So many of us are forever falling sick. It is all dust and allergies. There are three or four construction sites around our society. How often can you tell children not to go down to play? We risk our lives daily, simply because authorities won’t take strict action or builders won’t play by the book,” said the retired banker. A major concern for citizens is lack of compliance by builders in simple things like covering trucks carrying cement, or washing tires before they leave a site — small acts that make a large difference over time. “There are over 100 large construction sites in Baner, Pashan and Balewadi alone. Not a single one complies with Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) 2017 guidelines on construction material, nor with the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981. Besides sites causing severe air pollution, vehicles accessing them have turned roads into dust bowls, too. Superficial sweeping doesn’t help, but neither Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) nor builders are finding a solution,” said Ravindra Sinha, convenor of Baner Pashan Link Road Area Sabha. “In several cases, even authorities in charge of enforcing the rules are not aware of them and neither is there any political will to rectify the situation on ground. Barely 10% of the norms are implemented by the builders, if at all,” Sinha added. Rising dust levels in Pimpri Chinchwad too, especially in fast-developing areas, have become a serious concern for residents. In Dec 2025, CPCB stated that Pimpri Chinchwad had the highest air quality index (AQI) level in Maharashtra. “Much of this is linked to construction sites where dust-control norms are not followed. PCMC should ensure proper compliance through measures like barricading, regular water sprinkling and safe debris handling. Development is important, but responsibly. Strict enforcement and timely action against violations are essential, as prolonged exposure to construction dust impacts citizens’ health and quality of life,” said Arun Patole, a software engineer and Wakad resident. RMC plants become alarming contributors The ready-mix concrete plants that supply materials to construction sites are emerging as a major and unchecked contributor to bad AQI. Purushottam Patil, a resident of Tathawade, said their neighbourhood is surrounded by RMC plants. He claimed that those in Marunji are ignored by the gram panchayat, while the remaining ones in PCMC are overlooked by the latter. Patil said, “We have complained multiple times, but in vain. We even submitted letters to MPCB with location tags and photos. Around 40 societies on this stretch are affected. It is difficult to breathe all year. RMC trucks also speed on this internal stretch, making using our vehicles or walking difficult. In the evenings, one can see four to five RMC trucks and other vehicles carrying construction materials every minute. We need strict enforcement of rules and permanent action to remedy this deplorable situation.” Advocate Krunnal Ghare, a resident of Bavdhan, had filed a Right to Information (RTI) application to understand how many RMC plants in his area were legal. “The official RTI response from MPCB shows the existence of 137 RMC plants in the whole of Pune city, but this number is a mere fraction of the actual figure. The reality on ground is that multiple illegal operations have turned the air we breathe into a thick blanket of suffocation,” Ghare told TOI. “Take Bavdhan for example. While the RTI reply acknowledges only one legal plant — which has faced a closure notice — there are six or seven others visibly operating with impunity. This has left thousands of residents gasping for breath. The air is no longer just poor; it is heavy with the dust of unauthorized industry, and a systemic failure to protect our basic right to live in a healthy environment,” he added. Pleas and plaints go unanswered Most recently, Baner Pashan Link Road Welfare Trust sent a letter to Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Naval Kishore Ram, demanding urgent action against rising dust and air pollution from construction activities across Baner and Pashan. They highlighted that several construction sites are not complying with directions of Bombay high court or guidelines and directions issued by MPCB and CPCB. “There are no proper green or cloth nets around sites, no regular water sprinkling, construction vehicles are uncovered, tyres are dusty and concrete or debris are always spilling onto roads instead of being contained and safely transported,” they stated. Residents demanded immediate inspection of construction sites in the belt and across Pune city, with stop-work orders to be issued wherever non-compliance is found. They also asked for systematic removal of road dust by scraping, lifting and transporting it to the authorised disposal or processing facilities, instead of only dry sweeping. The letter warned of seeking appropriate legal remedies in case of inaction or inadequate response. Another such letter was sent by BWF to the civic chief. “Our key demands included installing a real-time AQI monitoring station in Balewadi, strict dust control at Metro and other project sites, road dust suppression and regular cleaning, green buffers with native species and prompt and regular action against open garbage burning,” said Vandana Chaudhary, a member of the group. Copies have been marked to MPCB, CPCB, Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) and various project authorities for immediate compliance. MPCB region officer Babasaheb Kukade said, “We get a lot of complaints regarding dust around RMC plants. If a plant is not following pollution control guidelines according to the 2025 directive, we issue a closure notice. If still there is no compliance, water and electricity are cut. However, we have to follow up a lot to get the power cut with the relevant authorities, which is a big hurdle. Also, many of these RMC plants work on diesel generator sets, which means that they don’t care if the power is shut. Vehicle movement of any kind from these plants falls under the ambit of the Regional Transport Office (RTO).” He added, “As of now, we have only 12 on-field technical staff for Pune district, who have to manage all these aspects.” EXPERT SPEAK In case of issues found, individuals can file detailed complaints before the MPCB regional office, particularly highlighting breaches of consent conditions and Environmental Clearance (EC) stipulations relating to dust suppression, noise pollution, debris handling and transportation. Simultaneously, complaints may be lodged with the building permissions or construction departments of the municipal corporation concerned under provisions of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. However, in my experience, the most effective long-term recourse is to approach the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after placing complaints on record before the statutory authorities. I have secured multiple favourable orders where NGT has admonished errant builders and, in appropriate cases, it has even restrained ongoing construction until adequate pollution control measures were implemented — Maitreya Ghorpade | Environment lawyer Host an AQI walk in your own neighbourhoodAQI Walk is a citizen-science activity by Parisar, where participants walk through different parts of Pune carrying a low-cost air quality monitor to measure the air they are breathing directly and to understand how pollution levels vary across different parts of the city. Areas covered till date are Bavdhan, Swargate-Mandai and Hadapsar Gadital. Participants use the Airveda monitor as the device to measure PM2.5, PM10 & AQI levels. During all three walks in Dec 2025 and Jan 2026, readings for PM2.5 and PM10 majorly featured in poor and very poor categories, above 250. At some places, it was even 400 and above. Readings spiked due to construction activities, traffic signals and heavy built-up areas with no air movement. Near waste burnings/bonfires, readings shot upto to 2,000. Readings in internal residential areas reduced, away from main roads.
