Green panel whips Noida projects to a halt
18 Aug 2014 5:46 AM IST
In fresh trouble for developers and buyers in eco-sensitive zone area of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has ordered a stop to ongoing construction of five projects.
The department took the decision following the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had earlier ordered authorities to cancel No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the projects which have not taken environmental clearance from National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) before starting construction activity. The decision would affect 54 projects in this area as majority of them have not taken the license while applying for ‘Completion Certificate’.
Confirming the move, officials of the department said they have cancelled the NOC of five projects namely Panchsheel, JM Infratech, Apex Athena, Eco City in Sector 75 and DLF mall in Sector 18 of the respective builders as they are involved in construction activities without clearance certificate from the NBWL, which is mandatory in an eco-sensitive zone.
They said the builders, despite being asked to take the licence from concerned authority, failed to do so and now there is no option but to comply with the order of the green court. ‘As the NGT has asked us to cancel NOC of builders who have no clearance from NBWL, we have started verifying their licences. We have found five such builders and have cancelled their NOC. Now they can not carry out the construction at their site without proper license,’ said Atulesh Yadav, a regional officer of UPPCB.
Meanwhile, officials of CREDAI, the apex body of private real estate developers, have said the body is keeping an eye on developments and chalking out a plan to sort out the problem. They said they are preparing a report that will be submitted before the concerned authority for relief to concerned builders. ‘We are looking into the matter.
It is likely to be resolved once the area of eco-sensitive zone gets reduced,’ said a CREDAI member. However, no comments have been made by the affected builders yet in this regard.
Environmentalists, however, have expressed happiness over the development and claimed that more projects will face action as they are running without proper licence. ‘As 10-kilometer area of bird sanctuary comes under eco-sensitive zone, environmental clearance is necessary from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) as well as NBWL. Most realtors have been running the projects in this green area without licences which is clear violation of law,’ said Vikrant Tongad, a Noida-based environmentalist.
The department took the decision following the order of National Green Tribunal (NGT), which had earlier ordered authorities to cancel No Objection Certificate (NOC) of the projects which have not taken environmental clearance from National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) before starting construction activity. The decision would affect 54 projects in this area as majority of them have not taken the license while applying for ‘Completion Certificate’.
Confirming the move, officials of the department said they have cancelled the NOC of five projects namely Panchsheel, JM Infratech, Apex Athena, Eco City in Sector 75 and DLF mall in Sector 18 of the respective builders as they are involved in construction activities without clearance certificate from the NBWL, which is mandatory in an eco-sensitive zone.
They said the builders, despite being asked to take the licence from concerned authority, failed to do so and now there is no option but to comply with the order of the green court. ‘As the NGT has asked us to cancel NOC of builders who have no clearance from NBWL, we have started verifying their licences. We have found five such builders and have cancelled their NOC. Now they can not carry out the construction at their site without proper license,’ said Atulesh Yadav, a regional officer of UPPCB.
Meanwhile, officials of CREDAI, the apex body of private real estate developers, have said the body is keeping an eye on developments and chalking out a plan to sort out the problem. They said they are preparing a report that will be submitted before the concerned authority for relief to concerned builders. ‘We are looking into the matter.
It is likely to be resolved once the area of eco-sensitive zone gets reduced,’ said a CREDAI member. However, no comments have been made by the affected builders yet in this regard.
Environmentalists, however, have expressed happiness over the development and claimed that more projects will face action as they are running without proper licence. ‘As 10-kilometer area of bird sanctuary comes under eco-sensitive zone, environmental clearance is necessary from Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) as well as NBWL. Most realtors have been running the projects in this green area without licences which is clear violation of law,’ said Vikrant Tongad, a Noida-based environmentalist.
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