For unlawfully collecting groundwater, the UPPCB penalised 38 builders in Noida with a total of Rs. 76.5 billion.

NOIDA: 38 builders were fined Rs 76.5 crore by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) for unlawfully drawing groundwater from borewells. Within 15 days, the builders must deposit the money.

According to officials, the board fined the Gaur City 2 project a maximum amount of Rs 6.6 crore and the Gaur City 1 project a maximum of Rs 4 crore.

The Galaxy Blue Sapphire and Ace Divino projects are closely behind with fines of Rs 3.6 crore and Rs 3.3 crore, respectively. Ajnara Homes, Apex Golf Avenue, and Ajnara Le Garden will also pay fines of Rs. 1.8 crore, Rs. 1.1 crore, and Rs. 1 crore, respectively.

In July 2022, in response to a petition from two environmental groups alleging that 63 residential projects in Greater Noida and Greater Noida West were illegally extracting groundwater, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) established a district-level joint committee made up of the district magistrate and representatives from the state and central pollution control boards.

The committee conducted a two-phase screening of all the projects and discovered borewells at 41 of them. Of these 41 projects, only three were permitted to use groundwater; the other 38 were not.

Then, they sent notices to 38 builders requesting that they provide 0.5% of the project cost as environmental compensation, but they did not hear back. The board has thus sent notifications to 38 builders this month instructing them to pay a Rs 76.5 crore fine within 15 days.

“We’ve already let the builders know about the fines we’ve issued. Radhe Shyam, a regional official with the UPPCB, stated that they had 15 days from the time they received the notice to pay the fine amount.

The UPPCB also submitted an action-taken report with the NGT, informing it of the penalties levied on the builders, during a hearing in the case on May 15. In July, the case’s next hearing will take place.

Further, the UPPCB has taken legal action against 29 projects under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act of 1974, and the builders involved have been given show-cause notices.