MUMBAI, June 11 -- With over 910 redevelopment projects underway and over 3,000 construction sites dotting the city, Bandra East legislator Varun Sardesai has demanded a ban on construction activities on Sundays and public holidays. His stance has found resonance among resident associations across the city. A large number of complaints, particularly from his Bandra East constituency, forced Sardesai to dash off a letter to BMC chief Ashwini Bhide recently, demanding a complete ban on construction activity on Sundays and public holidays to help residents get some respite. In his letter, he argued that this was not a case against development but one for responsible and citizen-centric development which respects citizens' right to peace, health and dignity. "It is not a personal trigger but with half the city getting redeveloped, an entire generation is growing up with constant construction around them with no respite for sleep, siestas or afternoon naps," he pointed out. With most new buildings having multiple basements, there is constant drilling and breaking of hard rocks, which results in ear-splitting noise and even tremors to neighbouring buildings. "No wonder Mumbaikars are rushing out of the city during weekends to escape the noise here," said Sardesai. "A Sunday or holiday break will be beneficial for all." Several European countries such as Germany, Austria and Switzerland observe a ban on construction on Sundays owing to strict Sunday rest laws. Sardesai's proposal has been met with overwhelming support from residents. Mandeep Singh Makkar of the Chandivli Citizens Welfare Association wholeheartedly endorsed the proposal since his society has been disturbed by noise and dust pollution issues from a neighbouring construction site for the past few years. "Sometimes the construction activity goes on till 4 am," he said. "Residents from 40 to 50 buildings in the neighbourhood have been suffering this since November 2025 but we have got no relief despite calling the police or tweeting about it. The construction continues relentlessly and any break would provide much relief." Laura D'Souza, a practicing doctor and president of the Cuffe Parade Residents Association, said that beyond the dust and noise, construction sites activities also impact the mental health of residents. "The constant noise and banging leads to large-scale health issues such as headaches, anxiety, depression and insomnia," she said. "Drectly or indirectly, all of us are affected. A construction ban on holidays would prove to be a helpful breather for residents and help them recharge." D'Souza also feels that the city should prioritise a better quality of life over just a better quality of infrastructure. Noise activist Sumaira Abdulali from Awaaz Foundation recently successfully negotiated with a construction site in her Pali Hill neighbourhood to put up noise barriers. She found that internationally soundproofing construction mechanisms were available but were not implemented in Mumbai by corner-cutting builders. "My family would look forward to days when construction paused to be able to keep our windows open and hear one another," she said. A member of the Pali Hill Residents Association, Abdulali had successfully managed to get the construction sites in the area to abide by strict rules. Her advice to harassed residents is to record noise levels from construction sites using mobile phone decibel meter apps and share them on Twitter in real time to leave a digital data trail and help build pressure on the authorities to act. When contacted, a senior BMC official said, "The BMC can act only if construction sites flout the norms stipulated in the terms and conditions," he said. Sardesai's demand expectedly did not find support among realtors. Jitendra Mehta, senior vice-president, CREDAI-MCHI, pointed out that delays in project execution could slow the pace of housing delivery. Sukhraj Nahar, president, CREDAI-MCHI, said that timely completion of projects was crucial since thousands of families are awaiting their homes....