QRG hospital, a venture of the promoters of Havells India, were directed to pay an environmental compensation of Rs 6.88 crore for degrading the environment and another Rs 5 crore for having started the project without obtaining prior environmental clearance.
Noting that the project's proponents violated the law and "frustrated" the very object of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, the Tribunal quashed the environmental clearance granted to it.
"The project proponents are persons having large means and perspicacity. These projects have started after notification of 2006 has come into force, but project proponents did not even bother to apply for the grant of environmental clearance prior to starting construction of the project," the bench, headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar, said.
The Tribunal directed that the super-speciality hospital, started by Vivekanand Ashram Society and QRG Medicare Limited, would not carry out any activity in the entire premises and ordered the state pollution control board and Haryana's Environment Impact Assessment Authority to seal the premises if any activity was carried out.
According to the petition, the land was initially allotted to the Vivekanand Ashram Society for establishing a residential school and a social development centre for Dalit students but was taken over for constructing a 450-bed multi- specialty hospital by Qimat Rai Gupta Medicare Limited.