Illegal water extraction: NGT gives builders two weeks to respond

The builders concerned, during previous hearings, said proper notices were not served to them by the departments regarding illegal groundwater extraction

Terming it a “last opportunity”, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) granted 63 builders/promoters two weeks to enter their response in a plea alleging illegal extraction of groundwater by builders in Greater Noida.

The tribunal was hearing a petition filed by two environment activists and Greater Noida residents who alleged that groundwater was being rampantly extracted by some builders in Greater Noida West. (HT Photo)

On March 20, the tribunal was hearing the petition filed by environment activists and Greater Noida residents Pradeep Dahaliya and Prasoon Pant, who alleged that groundwater was being rampantly extracted by the 63 builders for projects in Greater Noida West.

The builders concerned, during the previous hearings, said ‘proper notices’ were not served to them by the departments regarding the illegal groundwater extraction. The NGT, on the last hearing on December 8, 2023, issued notices to the local administration and builders to enter a response in the case within two weeks.

“I filed petition in NGT over the rampant illegal extraction of groundwater by builders in Greater Noida West in May 2022. Since then, these builders have been alleging before the tribunal that formal notices were not served to them and thus, they were nor responsible for the activity. Interlocutory applications were filed by them. The NGT had than stated that proper notices should be issued to all respondents to enable them to file their responses within two weeks,” said Dahaliya.

“However, the builders/promoters have now sought more time even though enough time was granted to them to file their response,” he said.

Hearing the case on March 20, an NGT bench comprising judicial member justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel said, “Looking into the facts and circumstances of the case, we allow, as a last opportunity, two weeks and not more time to file reply to all such respondents who have not yet filed their responses.”

A joint committee, comprising officials of the district administration, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA), was constituted by the tribunal and it conducted inspections and found 33 group housing societies to be illegally extracting groundwater in 2023. An environmental compensation of ₹306 crore was imposed by the committee on errant developers.

“We will be filing our own responses as several new projects have come up in Greater Noida West and these might be engaging in the illegal groundwater extraction,” the petitioner further said.

The matter has been posted to April 29, 2024, for further proceedings.