NGT Slaps Fine Of Rs 113.25 Crore On Noida-based Realtor For Violation Of Environmental Norms

New Delhi, February 9 (TNA) The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped a fine of Rs 113.25 crore on Noida based realtor for violating environmental norms and has said that the ED forgot to note that the scope of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been extended and revenue earned from the commission of such offenses is the proceeds of crime as defined in the law.

It has also been found that the inaction on the part of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in the matter for more than nine-and-a-half years has encouraged the violations. The NGT was hearing a petition. It has been claimed in the petition that Uppal Chadha Hi Tech Developers Pvt. Ltd. has been violating environmental norms in its hi-tech townships in 14 villages of Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar districts of Uttar Pradesh.

A bench headed by Chairman AK Goel noted that the Project Proponent (PP) violated several environmental norms. The proponent was required to pay environmental compensation for remedial action for restoration of the environment.

A bench of Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel calculated the environmental compensation at 0.75 per cent of the total project cost.

The environmental compensation of Rs 113.25 crore will be paid by PP and deposited with the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) within three months, the bench said. The bench said that punitive action like criminal prosecution against PP would also be appropriate.