Mumbai: The BMC on Friday issued notices to around 59 construction sites across Mumbai under Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP IV). The sites including building construction sites and RMC plants, and are located in areas of Chakala, Malad West, Mazgaon, Siddharth Nagar-Worli, Navy Nagar-Colaba and Deonar. 

“If the sites fail to comply with the air pollution control norms within seven days, all construction activities and industries the areas will be stopped. More notices will be issued as the squads conduct inspections,” a senior officer from BMC Enviornment department said.

The action comes a day after the BMC announced that GRAP IV will be implemented in the areas which consistently recorded Air Quality Index (AQI) above 200 despite mitigation measures. Additional municipal commissioner Dr Ashwini Joshi said that implementation of GRAP IV is the last step, after all air pollution mitigation measures fail, and all the industries and construction activities in the areas will be stopped. 

The BMC administration informed on Thursday that it has also formed flying squads across 24 civic wards, which will ensure implementation of 28-points guidelines for air pollution control, especially at the construction sites. The squad will consist of two engineers (building factory and environment department each), a police personnel. A nuisance deterctor and a vehicle with vehicular tracking and monitoring system (VTMS) will be operational with them. 

Some of the guidelines mandatory at the construction sites include: covering with green cloth, regular water spraying, CCTV monitoring and installation of air pollution monitoring systems among others.

Mumbai, Nov 22: Indian equity benchmarks made marginal gains for the second week, supported by stronger second quarter (Q2) earnings, easing inflation and optimism around the India-US trade negotiations.

Benchmark indices Nifty and Sensex edged higher 0.68 and 0.50 per cent during the week to close at 26,068 and 85,231, respectively.

Analysts said that a moderation in FII selling due to expectations of earnings upgrades in H2 FY26 also supported the rally. However, markets turned volatile on Friday amid weak global cues. The Nifty fell after failing to cross its previous all-time highs of 26,277, ending its two-day advance.

Broader indices underperformed, with the Nifty Midcap100 and Smallcap100 ending the week down 0.76 per cent and 2.2 per cent, respectively.

Though IT stocks faced selling pressure due to weakness in the US tech shares, it was the biggest weekly gainer. Nifty Auto and Services followed as the secoral gainers during the week. On Friday, metals and realty were the worst hit, both dropping over 2 per cent, followed by PSU banks, financial services and media.

A better-than-expected non-farm payroll dimmed hopes of a US Federal Reserve rate cut in December putting pressure on global equities. Resultantly gold also witnessed selling pressure while INR declined to a new low.

The oil prices declined due to the US’s renewed push for a Russia-Ukraine peace proposal.

“The market may witness some profit booking in the near term if the pressure on Indian rupee persists. In the week ahead, investors will also have a close vigil on trade developments and economic data like IIP and Q2 FY26 GDP data to get the market direction,” said Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Investments Limited.

Analysts said that they expect markets to remain firm next week supported by buying on dips, improving demand outlook in Q3 and resilient flows.

Mumbai: Mumbai woke to an unexpectedly crisp and cool Saturday morning, offering residents a brief but refreshing pause from the city’s usual warm and humid November weather. Minimum temperatures slipped just below 21°C, creating a mild pre-winter nip that early risers welcomed as they stepped out to clear skies and gentle winds. For a few hours, the city felt closer to the beginnings of winter rather than its characteristic tropical climate.

However, the soothing weather masked a far more persistent problem. A thin but stubborn layer of smog lingered over the skyline, blurring visibility and dulling what could have been a picture-perfect morning. Despite the pleasant breeze, the haze refused to lift, serving as a sharp reminder of Mumbai’s growing air-quality concerns.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), clear skies are expected to persist through the day, with temperatures likely to rise to around 33°C by afternoon. The cool early-morning conditions are also expected to continue for the next few days. But meteorologists caution that there is little indication so far that the city’s deteriorating air quality will improve anytime soon.

Mumbai’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hit 292, firmly in the ‘unhealthy’ category today morning. This marks a stark deterioration compared to the moderate levels recorded earlier this month. Several neighbourhoods, particularly those with dense populations and industrial activity, reported alarming readings.

The Wadala Truck Terminal logged the highest AQI of the day at 382, categorised as ‘severe’, signalling dangerously poor air. Chembur and Colaba followed, both reporting AQI levels of 312, placing them in the severe range as well. Worli recorded 308, while Mazgaon stood at 305, indicating that smog levels were high across large swathes of the island city.

Suburban areas fared slightly better, though air quality remained far from healthy. Parel–Bhoiwada recorded an AQI of 140 and Kandivali East 157, falling within the ‘poor’ category. Meanwhile, Govandi (203), Santacruz East (227) and Malad West (233) continued to register ‘unhealthy’ air, showing that very few parts of Mumbai were spared from the pollution spike.

For context, an AQI of 0–50 is considered good, 51–100 moderate, 101–150 poor, 151–200 unhealthy and anything above 200 severe or hazardous. With most parts of the city now firmly above that threshold, Mumbai’s winter-like mornings may feel pleasant, but they come at a heavy environmental cost.