Navi Mumbai rids ‘critically polluted’ tag

Navi Mumbai's real estate sector gets a boost as it no longer falls under "Critically Polluted Areas," easing environmental clearances for projects.

NAVI MUMBAI: In a significant policy shift poised to inject new life into Navi Mumbai’s real estate sector, the city no longer falls under “Critically Polluted Areas”, as it was categorised by the Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index (CEPI). According to the CEPI score published in 2019, Navi Mumbai fell under the ‘Severely/Critically Polluted Areas’. However, as of May, Navi Mumbai registered comfortably below the 60-point threshold with a score of 53.59. CEPI score takes into account the air quality, surface and groundwater, and soil. Construction projects that faced restrictions getting environmental clearances (EC) in the region will now see a drastically simplified process that is expected to unlock hundreds of crores in stalled real estate investments.

A much simplified environ-mental clearances process is expected to unlock hundreds of crores in stalled real estate invest-ments. HT Archives (Hindustan Times)

This latest development was announced, along with the updated 2024 CEPI data from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) during the 241st meeting of the State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC-2) on May 29, the minutes of which were made available online recently.

A Bombay High Court order from June 25 also bolstered the development, as it mandated all EC applications in the city to be assessed solely by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Maharashtra. Responding to a writ petition filed by the Builders Association Navi Mumbai, the high court directed the state to process, within 8 weeks, all pending EC proposals on the current CEPI data as published by the MPCB.

The elimination of the previous requirement for additional scrutiny from the Central Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) reduces approval times for both new and ongoing projects, injecting fresh momentum into commercial and residential segments.

Developers, investors, and homebuyers are hopeful about the accelerated revival of delayed housing projects, reduced financial strain, and promising new proposals, including under the NAINA (Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area) development scheme. Santosh Patil, secretary of the NAINA builder welfare association, said, “Due to regulatory uncertainty, several projects were stuck financially. This policy shift clears that logjam. The development potential of Navi Mumbai can now be fully realized.”