NGT orders Rs 10 cr recovery from UP developer over sewage mismanagement
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Uttar Pradesh authorities to recover Rs 10 crore as environmental compensation from a Meerut-based property developer for failing to manage sewage and solid waste at a residential project.
The green body was hearing a plea alleging continued environmental violations, including sewage overflow, inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure, poor solid waste management and drainage issues, at Greenwood City Colony in Meerut, developed by Godwin Construction Company Pvt. Ltd.
The plea sought execution of the tribunal's May 2025 order, which had directed remedial measures by the developer, including construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP) within six months and payment of Rs 10 crore in environmental compensation.
In a recent order, a bench of judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel noted that the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had filed an affidavit stating that the developer had failed to construct the mandatory STP despite the tribunal's earlier directions, and that sewage was currently being diverted to a common STP in the city's Ved Vyaspuri area.
The tribunal, however, said the UPPCB had not clarified whether adequate permission existed for such diversion through sewerage lines, or whether the receiving STP had sufficient capacity to handle the additional sewage load.
It noted that while the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) had spent around Rs 26.64 lakh to replace old pipelines with a higher-capacity line for diverting the sewage, this was not a permanent solution, and the developer's original obligation remained to construct an on-site STP.
Citing a local commissioner's report submitted on July 20 this year, the tribunal said sewage overflow and stagnation persisted in several areas of the colony, including near the head water tank and private villas, posing significant environmental and health risks.
"We hereby direct that the state shall recover the environmental compensation of Rs 10 crore within the stipulated time in accordance with law and inform this court," the tribunal said.
The tribunal directed the developer to implement a remediation plan proposed by the UPPCB, involving installation of an STP in Greenwood City with a capacity of 0.9 MLD (Million Litres per Day) using Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology.
The MBBR method treats sewage using floating plastic pieces on which bacteria grow and break down waste in the water, with air pumped in to keep the process moving and speed up bacterial action.
"For the construction of STP and allied facilities, the EC recovered shall be used. If the EC is not recovered, the project proponent shall construct the same and make it operational. Thereafter, the resident welfare association shall maintain the STP," the tribunal said.
It also directed the UPPCB to furnish details on the treatment of discharged water in the proposed STP, the characteristics of its outlet, and its final discharge point, and asked for a detailed compliance report at least one day before the next hearing, scheduled for August 24.
(With inputs from PTI)
