The National Green Tribunal nullifies environmental clearance for the project of Godrej Properties.

The National Green Tribunal has dismissed the environmental clearance (EC) granted to Godrej in Bengaluru to a high-level housing project for the development of the lake buffer zone.

A bench of Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice S P Wangdi, Chairperson of the NGT, said that there could have been no environmental clearance for the development of the Kaikondrahalli Lake’s buffer zone and its drains merely on condition that no construction of this kind is increased.

“It will not be acceptable for a project proponent to be permitted to do the job. It is apparent that the proposal sets development in the buffer zone in violations of this zoning plan and this tribunal’s decision was upheld by the Supreme Court. Therefore, an appeal is approved and the EC is quashed,” said the bench.

The court ordered the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) — Karnataka, the State Pollution Control Board, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike and the Bengaluru Development Authority to take other steps in compliance with the laws.

The NGT heard a plea from Bengaluru resident HP Rajanna against Godrej Reflections being constructed in the village of Kasavanahalli in Varthur Hobli in Bengaluru Urban District by Godrej Properties Ltd and Wonder Projects Development Pvt. Ltd.

Rajanna opposed SEIAA’s order of 10 January 2018 granting EC to build the project at survey no. 61/2, 62 and 63/2, Kasavanahalli Village, Varthur Hobli, Bengaluru East Taluk, Wonder Projects Developments Pvt Ltd district of Bengaluru.

The construction is in the buffer zone of Kaikondrahalli Lake, apart from one primary and two secondary ‘rajkulewas’ (storm-water drains), as per the plea filed by the lawyer Rahul Choudhary.

“The region is eco-fragile and the project’s environmental load would be much greater than the area’s carrying capacity. The project developer intentionally withheld relevant data. The project is situated in No Development Zone, being the lake’s buffer zone,” the plea said.