New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS): Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Thursday issued a show cause notice with a penalty of Rs 5 lakh to Larsen & Toubro (L&T) Limited after the private company was found violating the 14-point guidelines set up by the Delhi government to control dust pollution in the national capital.

"We had got to know about the negligence by L&T around the tunnel it is constructing at Pragati Maidan. I visited the site myself to take stock of the situation and found gross violation of the guidelines," Rai said after a surprise visit to the Pragati Maidan tunnel construction site on Thursday afternoon.

"There is dust lying all around. The tarpaulin net has only been put up for show, either in parts or is completely torn apart. The anti-smog gun does not even have water in it. All these show how they do not care a bit about the norms. We are issuing L&T a show cause notice with a Rs 5 lakh penalty today and if we don't receive a satisfactory reply soon, we will take strict action against them. If they don't comply within two days, then they will have to pay a penalty of Rs 5 lakh per day," the minister added.

The Delhi government on Thursday launched an online portal for management of construction and demolition (C&D) waste in the national capital by enabling the construction agencies to self-audit themselves. It is a part of the Aam Aadmi Party-led government's anti-dust campaign.

Under the campaign, the Delhi government has made it mandatory for both private and government construction agencies to follow the 14-point guidelines that will prevent dust pollution in the city.

The 14-point guidelines include setting up of dust/wind-breaking walls of appropriate height around the periphery of the construction site, installation of anti-smog gun(s) for over 20,000 sq mt built-up area, anti-dust masks along with arrangements for medical help, investigation, and treatment for every construction worker working on the site.