NGT imposes Rs 10-crore penalty on Kovai realtor for pursuing project sans clearance

COIMBATORE: The southern zone of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed a Coimbatore-based real estate developer to pay within two months penalty of Rs 10 crore to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for continuing a project without obtaining environmental clearance.

Town and City Developers launched a project at Vedapatti village on 10.87 acres to build 1,356 residential flats.

The firm started construction work without obtaining the environmental clearance, said V Sankara Subramanian, a Tirunelveli-based environmental activist, who took the issue to the NGT.

According to Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification 2006, it is mandatory for firms to get environmental clearance while constructing flats of this size.

The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) and TNPCB on December 12, 2012, confirmed the violation and recommended Tamil Nadu Forest Department to initiate action against the firm.

Meanwhile, majority of the construction was already completed by the time the authorities came out with a report.

NGT southern zone members Justice K Ramakrishnan and Saibal Dasgupta directed the firm to restrain from further construction works without obtaining necessary environmental clearance.