Mumbai

Union Minister Piyush Goyal on Sunday advocated for promoting precast and steel construction methods as a way to curb dust pollution during building projects.

“All over the world, you don’t see reinforced concrete (RC) mixers. You see steel and precast structures. They may be slightly more expensive, but we could explore giving concessions and incentives for this,” Goyal said, suggesting he would discuss the idea with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Speaking at a meeting with businessmen and housing society office-bearers at Adarsh Complex in Malad West, ahead of the January 15 Mumbai municipal elections, Goyal highlighted the pollution caused by construction dust. He urged that RC mixers be shifted out of urban areas, noting, “I removed four-five of them from my parliamentary constituency.”

Rather than imposing mandatory restrictions, the minister suggested builders should be encouraged to adopt precast and steel methods through consensus. He also emphasised the need to designate public grounds for religious, cultural, and sports events.

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“As these are municipal corporation elections, I am not touching international issues like my recent trip to Brussels, where I nearly finalised the European Union–India Free Trade Agreement,” added Goyal, who represents North Mumbai in the Lok Sabha.