Construction and dumping policy to be formed soon

Chennai: The Chennai corporation will soon come out with a construction and dumping policy (C&D) for effective waste disposal at building sites. Taking a cue from the Delhi local administration, which alre­ady has such a policy in place, the civic body is planning to come out with a C&D policy to reduce the quantum of waste du­m­ped at landfills.

“We will soon come up with a policy to ensure proper disposal of excavated waste at construction sites and create a market for them to be utilised and recycled,” said city corporation commissioner Vikram Kapur, speaking at realty conference SouthCon 2013 here on Saturday.

Seeking to sensitise the realtor community to environmental issues, Kapur focussed on stagnant water in construction sites, the water generally used for curing. “Construction sites are the biggest breeding grounds for mosquitoes. This apart, the huge migrant population working at these sites live in such unhygienic conditions that in turn they become the source for spreading HIV, polio, dengue and malaria cases,” he added.

To cut down approval delays for realty projects, Kapur said the corporation had introduced a green channel and has already cleared 15,000 applications submitted online. “Giving due attention to the enforcement aspect of building policies, during the last two years, the corporation has issued stop notices to 1,174 buildings, demolition notice to 521 structures and lock and seal notices to 104 constructions,” he said.

To ensure strict enforcement, the corporation will soon hold licence surveyors responsible for ensuring that constructions are built as per the submitted plan. “They will now be asked to inspect the buildings for any violations at plinth-laying, roof slab and completion stages and submit a written report on any violations,” he added.

Kapur also suggested that builders incorporate a bio-methanation plant proposal for solid waste disposal right at the design stage and ensure maintenance of sewage treatment plants that they set up as part of the project.