20 buildings flout rules, to face action

The state's environment department has issued show cause notices to nearly 20 under-construction buildings for not getting mandatory approval under the Environment Impact Assessment notification of 2006 in the last two months of March and April.

The state's environment department has issued show cause notices to nearly 20 under-construction buildings for not getting mandatory approval under the Environment Impact Assessment notification of 2006 in the last two months of March and April.

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Under the EIA notification, all constructions over 20,000 sqm have to get clearances from the state level environment panels - state expert appraisal committee and the state level impact assessment authority (final authority) - before starting work.

"We have been getting various complaints against these constructions saying they have gone ahead with the work without getting approvals. We are compiling a list of violators and enforcing the law,'' said environment secretary, Valsa Nair Singh.

In the same period, environment department has also issued show cause notices to four other buildings including the controversial Worli high-rise, Har Siddhi Heights for coastal violations.

The department has to send the list of violations of CRZ notification 1991 to the Ministry of Environment and Forests by December for further action.

The other buildings facing heat for not having taken mandatory coastal clearances include Sea Green building at Worli, Ace Links building at Fort and a sea facing construction at Walkeshwar behind Dani Sadan Co-operative Housing Society. It has also sent notices seeking information to 10 other buildings for coastal violations.

The department is following directives by the Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh that action should be taken against those violating environment laws.

MOEF had issued demolition notice for Adarsh for bypassing environment laws and this has been set as a precedent for other buildings.

Environment officials have said that even though all the buildings cannot be demolished, they have been directed to ensure that violators are brought to book.