The Bombay High Court on Friday, November 28, 2025, took strong steps to control dust pollution from construction sites in Mumbai. While long-term strategies are needed to improve overall air quality, the court said immediate action is possible. A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad set up a five-member independent panel. This team will inspect construction sites to check if pollution rules are followed. It includes officials from the BMC, MPCB, civil society, and a public health expert. They will get transport, security, and support to access sites. The committee must report findings in one week. The court will hear the case again on December 15. It also ordered BMC and MPCB to submit a report on pollution measures taken last year. The court said, “Ensure that the construction sites and dust pollution are tackled, and it has to be done immediately in one to two weeks’ time.” Senior advocate Darius Khambata, amicus curiae, said dust from construction is a major cause of Mumbai’s poor air quality. Despite 27 court guidelines in 2023-24 like water sprinkling and installing air quality sensors, compliance is low. Out of about 1,000 sites, only 400 have sensors, and 117 do not work. Also, these sensors are not yet linked to a central system. Khambata warned against quick fixes and said, “If even installing monitors mandated by the court in 2023 is taking this long, it is concerning.” The court criticized old monitoring committees for not filing weekly reports since March. Senior Counsel Milind Sathe of BMC said squads do random checks and stop work if rules are broken. But NGO lawyer Janak Dwarkadas said many measures remain “only on paper” and pressed for tougher enforcement. The court asked BMC and the health department to advise the public on air pollution safety. It suggested giving masks at busy places like railway stations and bus stops. The court also said vehicle pollution would be tackled later to avoid citizens getting harassed. “Authorities will start impounding and issuing challans. The orders should not lead to harassment,” said the Bench.