Gurgaon: Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has issued show-cause notices to MCG commissioner Pradeep Dahiya and GMDA chief PC Meena over violations — numbering 258 — pertaining to pollution-control directions. Of the violations, 174 were attributed to MCG and 84 to GMDA. CAQM has accused the civic agencies of persistent non-compliance with the “binding” directions despite repeated inspections, warnings and opportunities to act.The notices, issued on Wednesday, record violations across just 52 road stretches covering approximately 104km during an inspection on Oct 14. The commission has fixed a personal hearing for Nov 3 at 11am at CAQM’s office in New Delhi. Both officials have been directed to appear in person and ensure the presence of officers directly responsible for implementing the road-dust control measures.According to the notices, the violations include high levels of visible road dust, construction and demolition (C&D) waste dumped along roads and roadsides, damaged footpaths and potholes. CAQM has directed Dahiya (IAS) and Meena to explain why a complaint should not be filed against them for alleged non-compliance with the Commission’s directions to ensure dust mitigation from roads and open areas.On the show-cause notice issued to the GMDA chief, a senior GMDA official said, “We will visit these sites to identify the issues. All necessary short term as well as long term dust mitigation measures will be taken immediately.”The MCG commissioner told TOI, “CAQM regularly conducts inspections to check dust-control mitigation measures. We adopt dust-mitigation measures to ensure our roads are dust free. We are duty-bound to comply with the CAQM directions.”Dahiya and Meena must explain the reasons for the alleged delay or non-compliance, detail the steps taken and submit any other relevant facts. CAQM has warned that if the required explanation or status report is not submitted, or the officials fail to attend without sufficient cause, it may proceed on the basis of the available material without granting another hearing.The scale of public complaints adds another troubling dimension to the commission’s findings. As of Oct 13, CAQM had received 1,135 social media complaints related to MCG and 183 related to GMDA — a combined total of 1,318 complaints concerning the two agencies.The sequence documented in the notice raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the city’s pollution-control machinery. On Dec 26, 2025, CAQM inspected 125 road stretches under MCG’s jurisdiction. The findings were alarming: 34 stretches had high visible dust, 58 had moderate dust and 29 had low dust. Only four stretches had no visible dust. The commission then instructed MCG on Jan 5 to implement dust-control measures strictly and on a priority basis. Yet the problem persisted.Following a complaint received on Feb 4, alleging road-dust pollution and the accumulation of municipal solid waste and C&D waste in sectors 49, 57, 70, 73, 74 and 75, CAQM conducted a special inspection the next day. Inspectors found heaps of loose soil and construction debris lying unattended along roadsides. On Feb 13, notices were issued to MCG’s chief engineer and the officers responsible for GMDA’s infrastructure and electrical wings. After receiving action-taken reports from both agencies, CAQM went further on March 18, directing them to initiate action against the officers responsible for maintaining dust-free roads and to expedite road redevelopment in accordance with its framework.A further inspection on April 7 again revealed high visible road dust and accumulated C&D waste. Dahiya was summoned for a personal hearing on April 27. MCG claimed that around 90 km of roads had been made dust-free. But the latest inspection in Oct has raised fresh doubts about the adequacy and effectiveness of the measures reported by the civic bodies.
