Millennium City turns into dust bowl amid relentless construction

Often described as a city perpetually “under construction,” Gurugram has nearly 5,000 ongoing construction projects at any given time. While this rapid pace of development has fuelled its rise as one of India’s top realty markets, the unchecked dust pollution from these sites has turned the city into a choking dust bowl.

Despite repeated directives from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), less than 15 per cent of construction sites have registered on the state’s dust portal or implemented required dust mitigation measures.

“The new Gurugram has always been under construction — from real estate projects to government infrastructure works. The area has turned into a dust bowl. The dust from these sites directly contributes to higher AQI levels,” said Praveen Malik, presiden