New Delhi, Aug 4 The National Green Tribunal has directed Uttar Pradesh authorities to recover Rs 10 crore as environmental compensation from a Meerut-based property developer for failing to manage sewage and solid waste at a residential project.
The green body was hearing a plea claiming continued environmental violations, including sewage overflow, inadequate sewage treatment infrastructure, poor solid waste management, and drainage issues in Meerut's Greenwood City Colony developed by Godwin Construction Company Pvt. Ltd.
The plea also sought execution of the tribunal's May 2025 order directing remedial measures by the developer, including the construction of a sewage treatment plant (STP) within six months and payment of Rs 10 crore environmental compensation (EC) by the developer.
In a recent order, a bench of judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel noted that the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) had filed an affidavit stating that the developer had failed to construct the mandatory STP despite the tribunal's earlier directions, and at present, the sewage was being diverted to a common STP in the city's Ved Vyaspuri area.
The tribunal, however, pointed out that the UPPCB has not clarified whether adequate permission exists for such diversion through sewerage lines or whether the receiving STP has sufficient capacity to handle the additional sewage load.
It said that while the Meerut Development Authority (MDA) has spent around Rs 26.64 lakh to replace old pipelines with a higher-capacity line for diverting the sewage, it is not a permanent solution and the developer's original obligation is to construct an on-site STP.
The tribunal said that a report submitted by a local commissioner on July 20 this year confirmed that sewage overflow and stagnation persist in several areas of the colony, including near the head water tank and private villas, posing significant environmental and health risks.
It said, "We hereby direct that the state shall recover the environmental compensation of Rs 10 crore within the stipulated time in accordance with law and inform this court."
The tribunal directed the developer to implement a remediation plan by the UPPCB proposing the installation of an STP in Greenwood City with a capacity of 0.9 MLD (Million Litres per Day) using the Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR) technology.
The MBBR technology in an STP is a way to clean sewage using floating plastic pieces, where good bacteria grow on these pieces and eat the waste in the water. Air is pumped in to keep everything moving and help the bacteria work faster.
"For the construction of STP and allied facilities, the EC recovered shall be used. If the EC is not recovered, the project proponent shall construct the same and make it operational. Thereafter, the resident welfare association shall maintain the STP," the tribunal said.
It also directed the UPPCB to furnish details about treatment of the discharged water in the proposed STP, characteristics of its outlet and its final discharge point.
"A detailed compliance report be furnished at least one day before the next date of hearing (on August 24)," the NGT said.
