Representative Image Gurugram: National Green Tribunal ,NGT) has criticized Haryana State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has been blamed for “delaying” in determining whether a licence was required for a 225-acre licensed colony in Sector 47. Environmental ClearanceThe tribunal’s observation comes following SEIAA’s failure to arrive at a settlement in the matter despite a direction issued on July 25 last year. It has given SEIAA four weeks to take a decision.
resident of Malibu Town A petition was filed in the NGT in 2022 alleging that 10 diesel generators were operating illegally in a green belt in the colony and that construction and demolition (C&D) waste dumping was taking place on a large scale in the area.
In March 2022, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) conducted an inspection and found that Malibu Town was discharging untreated sewage into its drains. This prompted the HSPCB to issue a closure notice to the colony’s developer in December 2022 for failing to obtain the necessary environmental clearances and other permissions.
Though this did not affect residents, the board’s directive prohibited the sale of any new properties and stipulated that no new possession or occupancy would be permitted in the project. The DHBVN was also directed not to issue any new electricity connections and all ongoing construction activities were suspended.
After the developer argued that there was no provision for mandatory environmental clearance when the colony was developed decades ago, the NGT had in July last year directed the SEIAA to inspect the matter and determine whether permission was required. In March this year, the green tribunal had also summoned officials of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), HSPCB and the country and town planning department, noting that the committee formed to examine the petition had given “vague and evasive” replies.
At a hearing on September 19, Rahul Khurana, representing SEIAA, sought an additional four weeks from the tribunal to reach a conclusion. The NGT stressed the importance of prompt action, realising the gravity of the situation, with judicial magistrate Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmed saying in the order, “Let it be done as it is said.” The order was made public on Wednesday and the next hearing is scheduled for October 10.
When contacted, a senior SEIAA official said, “We will follow the NGT directions and submit our response within four weeks.”
