PUNE: The National Green Tribunal’s western zone bench in Pune has permitted construction to resume on a real estate project in Baner, with monitoring mandated by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) to prevent any breaches of noise and dust pollution standards.
The bench, consisting of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh (judicial member) and Dr. Sujit Kumar Bajpayee (expert member), stated in an order dated December 8 that the project representatives provided scientific test reports indicating that ambient air and noise levels were “within the permissible limit.”
The NGT instructed the MPCB to inspect the site “within a week” to assess if “additional measures are needed to keep dust and noise within prescribed limits.” Should further action be required, the MPCB must issue directions “immediately.”
The NGT also instructed the MPCB to monitor the project “quarterly,” emphasizing the necessity for ongoing oversight to prevent future violations. Quarterly reports are to be submitted to the tribunal registry.
To establish accountability, the tribunal directed the MPCB to evaluate “whether an environmental damage compensation should be levied for any past violations.” The pollution board must calculate this amount “after offering a chance for hearing to the concerned parties.”
The tribunal charged the Pune Municipal Corporation with creating a standard protocol for construction activities to minimize air and noise pollution, with a three-month deadline from the date of the order to complete this task.
Saurabh Kulkarni, counsel for Advik Real Estate LLP, informed TOI that the tribunal recognized that excavation is complete and only basement construction remains. Based on the current evidence, the bench stated that the likelihood of future air and noise pollution is minimal at this stage.
On December 5, the bench had initially ordered a halt to construction while addressing a petition filed by the Supreme Pallacio Cooperative Housing Society, represented by advocate Maitreya Ghorpade. The NGT clarified recently that it had not issued a blanket stop-work order but conditioned progress on implementing adequate pollution control measures.
