IndustryLatest Stories

Haryana: Landowners face FIR for leasing farmland to illegal factories

GURUGRAM: The Haryana State Pollution Control Board officials have announced that landowners who lease or sell agricultural plots for unauthorized factory operations will now face criminal charges along with the operators of these units. This initiative forms part of the ongoing efforts to address the annual air quality crisis affecting Delhi-NCR. FIRs will now be filed against both landowners and tenants where industrial activities are detected on farmland without the necessary approvals. This marks a significant shift from past enforcement actions, which primarily focused on sealing or demolishing such units. Senior officials have directed teams to locate these plots and…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

GRAP-4: Open C&D Waste and Road Work Issues in Gurugram

Representative Ai image GURUGRAM: GRAP (Graded Response Action Plan) Stage 4 is currently active across the NCR, but enforcement appears lacking. Local authorities may announce crackdowns, yet Gurgaon streets resemble dust zones. “Dust is everywhere,” remarked Komal Yadav, a resident of Sushant Lok 1, as construction, road excavation, and debris dumping continue despite strict anti-pollution measures. A recent check by TOI revealed ongoing construction and roadwork at various locations, including IFFCO Chowk, Sector 28, Sector 23, Palam Vihar, Sushant Lok 1, and Maruti Vihar. Stage 4 of GRAP, implemented during severe air quality events, aims to restrict dust and emissions…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

Gurugram High-Rises Urged to Use Smog Guns for Dust Control

GURUGRAM: The air quality in the city has remained in the ‘very poor’ category for the second consecutive day. The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) is urging numerous residential and commercial developments to implement smog guns or water-sprinkling systems to manage dust levels in the winter. The Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded an index of 315 on Friday, an improvement from the previous day’s 353, but still classified as ‘very poor.’ The HSPCB’s advisory was distributed to over 180 group housing societies, condominiums, plotted colonies, and commercial complexes citywide, including significant developments in DLF City, Golf Course Road, Golf…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

NGT Reduces Environmental Fine for Gurugram High-Rise Society

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has provided notable relief to Freedom Park Life AOA, developed by BPTP Builder, by significantly decreasing the environmental compensation previously imposed on the society by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board. The appeal, presented by Advocates Sumit Gehlot, T.S. Thakraon, Manju Gehlot, and Abhishek Singh for the appellant, led the Tribunal to determine that the penalty calculated by the Board was unjustified and lacked supporting evidence. Initially, the HSPCB had levied a penalty of Rs 1,55,62,500 on the housing society, claiming that its sewage treatment plant (STP) had been out of order for…

Latest StoriesResidential

300+ Gurugram Projects Violate Norms, Bypass STP Checks

GURUGRAM: More than 300 real estate and commercial projects in the city have failed to install the mandatory analysers on their sewage treatment plants (STPs). Documents obtained through the RTI Act reveal this includes several prominent group housing societies, IT parks, and shopping malls. STP analysers are essential for an environmental management system, providing real-time data on critical parameters such as pH levels, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), to ensure wastewater treatment complies with discharge standards. The list, revealed by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) in response to an RTI request from local resident…