India, March 30 -- Construction work anywhere causes disturbances in the surroundings but not in Bandra's upscale Pali Hill, where residents have put in place a foolproof model to insulate themselves and their neighbourhood from development-related sound and dust irritants. The residents of Pali Hill ensure that developers abide by a set of standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid down by them.

"Since 2008, we have had a set of 'Dos and Don'ts' that developers need to adhere to. "These rules are not difficult to abide by, like not keeping debris or building material of any kind on the main roads of Pali Hill and permission for only one heavy vehicle at a time for each of the construction sites in the area," said Madhu Poplai, secretary,...