Rs 10 Crore Penalty for Violating Environmental Norms by NGT
The National Green Tribunal slapped a short penalty of Rs 10 crore on a Faridabad builder for violating environmental norms that causing pollution for the city. The penalty was imposed after observing that the “environment is priceless.
The green panel ordered the Haryana government and the state pollution control board to ban the project supporter – Smart Housing Pvt Ltd – from initiating such projects in the future until environmental norms are fully implemented.
The NGT also directed them to seal and take ownership of public use spaces in the ‘Vesta Heights’ project along with sealing and taking over of vacant flats.
The tribunal’s order came on a case registered by Mukund Dhote claiming that the housing project ‘Vesta Heights’ Baselwa Village in Sector-86 of Faridabad was in violation of provisions of Environmental Clearance and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
A bench directed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that a revised compensation may be imposed and collected on the guide of its previous orders by a joint committee of Union Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board and state pollution control board.
The bench further said “Pollution cannot be allowed to be a profitable activity. The environment is priceless. Intentional violations have to be visited with more stringent damages than accidental or unintended,”.
The NGT in its order said, “We fix interim compensation of Rs 10 crore to be deposited by the project defender with the CPCB within one month subject to the final evaluation of such compensation by the committee after giving a due opportunity to the project defender.
The tribunal believed that it is clear that there is a clear violation of provisions of environmental approval apart from disposal of sewage through tankers at unauthorized locations, illegal removal of groundwater and not operating DG kits as per rules.
“Action taken by the state pollution control board is not sufficient. It is mentioned on behalf of the applicant that the State PCB could have sealed the accessible public use spaces and taken other forceful actions against the project defender. Compensation should be genuine to recover the cost of reconstruction of the environment,” the bench said.
The bench said that considering such faults, possessing the potential for harming the environment and public health, the Haryana government requires to concentrate on corrective measures against such breaches by the housing project after developing a proper monitoring tool.
Last month, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped an interim penalty of Rs 22.5 crore on 6-builders in Haryana’s Sonipat area for violation of environmental norms.
Source: ET
