InfrastructureLatest Stories

Delhi fines construction sites ₹33.95 lakh for GRAP-IV violations

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has imposed fines totaling ₹33.95 lakh on construction sites over the last week for breaching guidelines outlined in the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) aimed at reducing air pollution, officials announced on Saturday. The MCD stated that construction and demolition activities are strictly banned in Delhi during the GRAP-IV phase, following directions by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) and orders from the National Green Tribunal (NGT). Enforcement teams from the MCD conducted inspections across all zones, verifying 1,792 construction sites and issuing 771 fines where violations were identified. In November,…

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NGT Halts Order to Attach Gaursons Promoters’ Office, MD Case

NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has suspended its prior directive to attach the headquarters of Gaursons Promoters Private Limited and initiate criminal proceedings against the company’s managing director, granting temporary relief to the real estate developer. This ruling was made by a bench featuring judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, following the company’s request to modify or overturn the tribunal’s Dec 16 directive. This directive had been issued during the hearing of an execution application presented by a Greater Noida resident, claiming non-compliance with earlier tribunal orders. Senior advocate A R Takkar, representing…

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MPCB Team Assesses Anti-Pollution Measures at Baner Realty Site

PUNE: On Friday, officials from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) inspected a site for a new residential and commercial project in Baner to determine further actions needed to manage dust and noise levels, as mandated by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on December 8. MPCB’s Pune sub-regional officer Kartikeya Langote stated, “We have sent field officers Jayant Doke and Sarjerao Bhoi to the project site.” Doke informed TOI, “We have established air quality and noise monitoring stations, which will track these levels for the next 24 hours. We had previously instructed the project proponent to implement measures to mitigate…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

NGT Orders Gaursons Office Attachment, Criminal Action on MD

NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has expressed strong discontent regarding non-compliance with its previous orders, instructing the Ghaziabad district magistrate to initiate a warrant of attachment against Gaursons Promoters Private Limited’s headquarters and submit a compliance report within four weeks. The tribunal also mandated that a designated officer from the central or state government file a criminal complaint against the developer’s managing director under Section 30 of the NGT Act, which pertains to penalties for environmental non-compliance. The principal bench comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad issued these directions after reviewing a…

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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…

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NGT Extends Sand Mining Ban in Goa Rivers Until Next Month

Representative AI image PANAJI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has prolonged the ban on sand mining in Goa’s rivers until January 28, 2026. This decision follows an appeal by the Goa River Sand Protection Network against 12 environmental clearances issued by the state. This extension was prompted by a request from the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority for additional time to respond during a December 8 hearing. The NGT’s ruling specifies that the “director of mines and geology shall not permit any mining activity in the area in question until the next hearing date.” The Goa River Sand Protection Network…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

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.…

Latest StoriesRegulatory

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…

InfrastructureLatest Stories

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…