Pune: NGT Orders Wadgaon Budruk RMC Plant To Pay ₹29.68 Lakh For Pollution Violations
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Pune, November 27, 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Pune bench has directed a ready-mix cement (RMC) plant in Wadgaon Budruk to pay ₹29.68 lakh as environmental damage compensation (EDC) to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for violating pollution control norms. The tribunal has instructed that the amount be utilised for environmental restoration in the affected locality.
The order, issued on November 11 and made public on Tuesday, comes after repeated violations by the RMC plant. Although MPCB had ordered its closure on June 24, 2024, the unit continued operating until June 17 this year.
The case was brought before the NGT by local resident Suyog Kelkar, who lives in a housing society located close to the plant. Kelkar highlighted that the facility posed serious health risks to nearby residents, students of a close-by school, and workers at a neighbouring bakery.
During earlier hearings, the NGT bench—comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi—directed MPCB to assess the environmental impact caused by the plant’s violations. MPCB submitted an affidavit calculating the total damage at ₹29.68 lakh, which the plant owners agreed to pay. The unit is currently non-operational.
Kelkar, who suffers from childhood asthma, stated that he purchased his home in the area for its clean air and open surroundings. Despite repeated objections from residents, MPCB granted permission for the RMC plant in December 2021, allegedly overlooking siting norms such as required distances of 80 metres from a highway and 160 metres from a school.
In 2025, an RTI inquiry by Kelkar revealed that the plant was functioning without valid consent even after MPCB had issued a closure notice in June 2024. He approached the NGT following a complaint hearing during which an MPCB officer informed him that the board lacked direct enforcement powers to shut down such units.
MPCB officials later inspected the RMC plant on June 17, 2025, and confirmed it was operating using a 320 KVA DG set. The MSEDCL had already disconnected its electricity supply on July 9, 2024.
The NGT’s latest order is expected to reinforce enforcement actions and provide relief to residents affected by pollution in the area.
