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NGT Stops Pune Project Over Noise and Dust Violations

PUNE: The National Green Tribunal’s Western Zone Bench in Pune has ordered a halt to construction activity at a residential project in Baner after the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) reported several violations concerning dust, noise, and construction waste norms. The tribunal issued this directive while addressing a petition from the Supreme Pallacio Cooperative Housing Society against a real estate LLP, which alleged significant pollution impacting the residents. The residents requested an interim injunction to stop construction until proper measures were taken to manage air pollution. The NGT reviewed the MPCB’s inspection report from July 15, which noted insufficient acoustic…

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Haryana collects under 1% of ₹45 crore in environment fees

GURUGRAM: The Haryana government has levied over Rs 45 crore in environmental compensation (EC) on more than 400 industrial and commercial entities over the past three years. However, less than 1% of these penalties have been collected. Currently, Rs 44.87 crore remains unpaid, with only around Rs 42 lakh collected in response to penalties for various violations, encompassing illegal mining, dust emissions, unauthorized construction, and untreated wastewater discharge. The overdue EC stems from infractions reported from 2021 to 2024. Despite the limited recovery, many violators have either ceased operations, switched ownership, relocated, or contested the penalties, effectively hindering enforcement efforts.…

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NGT Calls Officials, Developer Over Waste Spill Incident

MOHALI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued a stern warning to multiple government bodies and a private developer, summoning senior officials from Gmada, the gram panchayat of Green Enclave Kharar, and the developer group. This comes after their failure to curb the discharge of untreated wastewater that has been pooling for over a year in an open area near Daun Majra village, Kharar. The case arose when Vijay Kumar Pathania submitted a petition on January 11, 2024, alleging the dumping of sewage from Green Enclave on open land, adversely affecting his nearby residence adjacent to the TDI project. Following the…

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25 Acres of Aravali Forest Cleared of Buildings and Walls

GURUGRAM: On Friday, approximately 25 acres of encroached land in the Raisina Hills of Sohna were cleared in a demolition drive focused on the Aravalis. The operation, led by the forest department, aimed to dismantle boundary walls, farmhouses, and other illegal structures on protected land. Officials stated that this action seeks to reclaim forest and PLPA-notified areas that have faced extensive illegal encroachments over the years. “We are committed to removing encroachments on forest and Aravali land. Additional drives will be conducted in the upcoming days. Notices will be published in newspapers, allowing 10 days for public responses before further…

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NGT Orders MoEFCC to Reassess Gurugram Housing Clearance

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has instructed the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to reassess the environmental clearance for a group housing project expansion in Gurugram’s Sukhrali village. The directive came during a hearing in which the resident welfare association (RWA) contested the granting of environmental clearance (EC) by the Haryana State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for the project’s expansion. A bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and member expert A Senthil Vel observed that a three-member expert committee was established in 2021 to re-evaluate the project’s environmental impact and submit findings to the…

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NGT fines developer ₹2.5 crore for Thergaon project issues

PUNE: The National Green Tribunal has ordered a developer to pay ₹2.55 crore in environmental damage compensation to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board within two months for not obtaining the required environmental clearance for a completed residential project in Thergaon, Pimpri Chinchwad. This ruling was made on September 3, following a 2016 petition by activist Tanaji Gambhire, who alleged that the project—which includes 497 flats and 25 commercial units—was constructed without the mandatory environment clearance (EC) and consent to establish. Gambhire also accused the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation of neglecting concerns that part of the construction was located within flood…

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NGT Requests Reports on Aravalis Farmhouses from Haryana, Rajasthan

GURUGRAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) requested compliance reports from the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the Sohna Municipal Council during a hearing on Monday. Both entities were made respondents in an ongoing case addressing unauthorized construction and reconstruction activities in the ecologically sensitive Aravali hills of Raisina. Counsel representing Haryana and Rajasthan requested a four-week extension to submit their compliance reports concerning prior directions aimed at protecting the Aravalli hills. The bench approved this request, scheduling the next hearing for October 16. The bench, consisting of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert members Dr. A. Senthil Vel…

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NGT Requests New Report on Illegal Noida Buildings

NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal has expressed concern over the Noida Authority’s inadequate response to issues of illegal residential and commercial constructions. The tribunal, led by Justice Prakash Srivastava on July 28, has ordered the Authority to provide a new affidavit within three weeks detailing individuals, properties, projects, and their specific locations. The projects identified by the petitioner’s lawyer, Akash Vashishtha, include Pristine Greens and Krishna Elite Homes in Bisrakh Jalalpur village, Greater Noida West, which are being developed on agricultural and residential land. Other projects named include Trinity High Street in Jalpura, Vihaan Heritage in Bisrakh, Subodh Bhati Market…

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NGT Sends Notices to Haryana on Aravalis Environmental Violations

GURUGRAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has acknowledged environmental violations in the ecologically sensitive Aravali forest area near Suncity, Sector 54, and has issued notices to the Haryana government, forest department, and pollution department for clarification. The next hearing is scheduled for October 29, 2025. The tribunal was presented with a petition from a local resident claiming that over 10 acres of Aravali land in Sector 54 has been encroached upon. The petition outlines several violations on the forestland, which include the construction of unauthorized structures, the creation of a parking lot, illegal borewell installations, and incidents of light and…

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NGT Launches Probe into Illegal Sand Mining in Dhenkanal

CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has mandated an investigation into alleged illegal sand mining at a quarry located along the Brahmani River in Dhenkanal district. This directive arose during a Friday hearing regarding a petition from a Talcher-based NGO, alleging that 11.80 acres of sand was being mined illegally at Gunadei village under Odapada tehsil, in violation of various environmental regulations. The petitioners’ legal representatives, Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy (participating virtually), asserted the project was breaching the Sustainable Sand Mining Management Guidelines, 2016, established by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The NGT’s east…