Pune: NGT Imposes ₹1.7 Crore Penalty On Builder For Environmental Violations
Pune: NGT Imposes ₹1.7 Crore Penalty On Builder For Environmental Violations
Pune, August 30, 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Western Zone Bench, has directed a Pune-based real estate developer to pay ₹1.7 crore as environmental damage compensation (EDC) for carrying out large-scale construction without mandatory clearances.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni following a petition filed by resident Vishal Shantaram Darwatkar. The petitioner alleged that the builder violated environmental regulations while developing a major residential project on Katraj–Kondhwa Road.
According to the case, the developer constructed three buildings between 2011 and 2016, with a cooperative housing society registered in 2014. Later, in 2019, construction of a fourth building began and was completed in 2023. The tribunal dismissed the developer’s claim that these were independent projects, ruling instead that they constituted a single integrated development.
Since the combined built-up area exceeded 20,000 square metres, the project required prior environmental clearance (EC) as well as consent to establish (CTE) and consent to operate (CTO) from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA). Both agencies confirmed that no such approvals were obtained.
Citing the Supreme Court’s precedent in Goel Ganga Developers Pvt. Ltd. vs. Union of India (2018), the NGT imposed a penalty amounting to five per cent of the total project cost, calculated at ₹34 crore. The builder must deposit ₹1.7 crore with MPCB within a month. MPCB has been instructed to use the funds for environmental restoration within six months and submit a compliance report.
The petitioner also highlighted other violations, including illegal groundwater extraction, narrowing of a natural water stream, lack of a proper sewage treatment plant, and inadequate green cover, all indicating systemic disregard for environmental safeguards.
The tribunal stressed that developers cannot evade legal responsibilities and emphasised the need for strict compliance with environmental norms. It clarified that the compensation was both punitive and restorative, aiming to mitigate ecological damage caused by unauthorised construction.
