MP pollution body notifies builders for defying rules

Over a dozen construction companies including Omaxe and Shalimar Townships, planning big township projects in Indore, have been served notices by the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) for flouting norms of environment impact assessment (EIA) notification.

Getting an EIA clearance from the state pollution control board is mandatory before starting any construction project. The move follows a letter from the state chief secretary asking MPPCB to verify that all township projects were following the EIA norms.

Notices have been served to managing director of Omaxe Construction, New Delhi, owners of Shalimar Township, Vijay Agrawal of Empire State, Rajendra Mehta of President Park, Girish Kemkar of Sampat Hills Highway Township Grih Nirman Sahkari Sanstha Maryadit, owners of Sunrise Palace Finance, and the director of Matlani Group.

"Through the notices, we have asked them to get environmental clearance from the department before making any further development in their project," said A A Mishra, regional officer, MPPCB.

Notice to Omaxe was issued on the basis of advertisements that the company had released recently about their proposed project of a residential and commercial establishment on A B Road.

MPPCB has also asked the companies not to release any ads without getting legal permission from it. The companies have been asked to reply to the notices within seven days.

Siddartha Behura, additional secretary of ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), had sent a letter on February 10 to R C Sahani, chief secretary of the state, in this regard.

The MoEF officer pointed to the EIA Amendment Notification, dated July 7, 2004, which makes it mandatory for all new construction projects/estates to obtain prior environmental clearance from MoEF.

The new construction projects include the ones that have not reached plinth level and new industrial estates include those projects which have not exceeded 25 per cent of the sanctioned cost as on the date of notification.

All on-going constructions could attract environmental clearance under the notification. The Centre had also asked the chief secretary to send the compliance report.

The chief secretary had thus asked all the MPPCB authorities to prepare a list of such buildings and townships and issue notices to them. MPPCB would send the list of violators to MoEF.