GURURGRAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has criticised the Haryana State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for its “procrastination” in determining whether a 225-acre licensed colony in Sector 47 required an environmental clearance. The tribunal’s remarks come following SEIAA’s failure to reach a resolution in the case despite a directive issued on July 25 last year. It has given SEIAA four weeks’ time to take a call.
A resident of Malibu Towne had in 2022 filed a petition with NGT alleging that 10 diesel generators were operating illegally in a green belt in the colony, and construction and demolition (C&D) waste dumping was rampant in the area.
In March 2022, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) carried out inspections and found that Malibu Towne was discharging untreated sewage into its drains. This prompted HSPCB to issue a closure notice to the colony’s developer for failing to procure the requisite environmental clearances and other permissions in Dec 2022.
Although residents remained unaffected, the board’s directive prohibited any new property sales and stipulated that no new possession or occupancy would be permitted in the project. DHBVN was also instructed to refrain from releasing any new electricity connections, and all ongoing construction activities were suspended.
After the developer contended that there were no provisions of mandatory environmental clearance when the colony was developed decades ago, NGT had in July last year directed SEIAA to inspect the case and determine whether the permission was required. In March this year, the green tribunal also summoned officials from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), HSPCB, and the department of country and town planning after observing that the committee constituted to investigate the petition had provided “vague and evasive” responses.
In a hearing on Sept 19, Rahul Khurana, representing SEIAA, entreated the tribunal for an additional four weeks to arrive at a conclusion. NGT, recognizing the exigency of the situation, stressed the im-portance of expeditious action, with judicial magistrate Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad stating in the order, “Let it be done as stated.” The order was made public on Wednesday, and the next hearing is scheduled for Oct 10.
When contacted, a senior SEIAA official said, “We will follow the NGT’s directions and submit our reply within four weeks.”
