The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has reprimanded the Haryana State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) for repeatedly postponing the decision on environmental clearance for a 225-acre licensed colony in Sector 47, Gurugram. The criticism follows SEIAA’s failure to comply with an earlier directive from July 25, 2023. The tribunal has now granted SEIAA four weeks to make a final decision.
The issue was first brought to the NGT’s attention in 2022 when a resident of Malibu Towne filed a petition. The petition alleged illegal operation of ten diesel generators in the colony’s green belt and widespread dumping of construction and demolition (C&D) waste.
Following this, the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) conducted inspections in March 2022 and found that untreated sewage was being discharged into Malibu Towne’s drainage system. In response, HSPCB issued a closure notice to the colony’s developer in December 2022, citing a lack of environmental clearances and other necessary approvals. Though residents were not immediately impacted, the notice suspended property sales, halted new occupancy or possession, and instructed DHBVN to stop issuing new electricity connections. Ongoing construction work was also ordered to cease.
The developer argued that environmental clearances were not mandatory when the colony was initially developed decades ago. In July 2023, the NGT instructed SEIAA to investigate and determine whether such clearances were necessary. However, in March 2024, the NGT summoned officials from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), HSPCB, and the Department of Country and Town Planning after noting that the committee’s investigation had yielded vague and unsatisfactory responses.
During the latest hearing on September 19, SEIAA’s representative, Rahul Khurana, requested another four weeks to finalize the decision. Recognizing the urgency, the NGT ordered swift action. Judicial Magistrate Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad emphasized that the process must continue as planned. The next hearing is scheduled for October 10.
