The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered BramhaCorp Ltd, a Pune-based real estate company, to pay Rs 3.11 crore for violating environmental norms related to its housing project, Brahma Exuberance Elite, in Kondhwa Khurd.
The tribunal directed the company to deposit Rs 2.37 crore as environmental damage compensation with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) and Rs 74.18 lakh as a penalty with the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB). The project, which spans 17,433.10 sq m and includes five buildings (four completed), had failed to secure the required environmental clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) before construction. The project also lacked Consent to Establish from the MPCB, which is mandatory for projects exceeding 20,000 sq m of built-up area.
The issue was raised in 2019 by Nana Peth resident Ajay Bhosale, who filed an application citing these violations. Despite the project applying for an ex-post-facto environmental clearance in October 2023, the tribunal upheld the violations and ordered compensation for the environmental damage caused over 6,083 days. BramhaCorp had argued that the project, initiated in 2005, did not require the clearance under the 2006 Environment Impact Assessment notification, but the tribunal dismissed this argument. BramhaCorp’s lawyer stated that the company would pay the required amounts to the PMC and MPCB. The compensation will be used for environmental restoration as per the recommendations made by the SEIAA. The penalty and compensation are to be paid within a month, and the funds will aid in improving the local environment.
