Act against environment laws violating projects: NGT to Greater Noida authority

NOIDA: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has instructed the Greater Noida authority to identify and take decisive action against all construction projects within its jurisdiction that are flouting environmental regulations, officials said on Friday.

The direction came in response to a petition filed in March 2024 by environmental activist and former municipal corporator Rajendra Tyagi, who flagged large-scale unauthorised construction activities across 56 villages along the GT Road in the Chhapraula region of Greater Noida.

The plea alleges that numerous residential, commercial, and other developments are underway in both Noida and Greater Noida devoid of requisite environmental clearances.

Hearing the case, on March 27, an NGT bench comprising justice Prakash Shrivastava (chairperson), justice Sudhir Agarwal (judicial member), and A Senthil Vel (expert member) directed Greater Noida authority to survey all ongoing construction activities and take enforcement measures where violations are detected.

“The Greater Noida authority is directed to ascertain all such constructions/projects within its territorial jurisdiction which are in progress in violation of the environmental norms and should take action against them,” the bench said.

The authority told the bench that it would conduct spot verifications and initiate necessary steps against any projects found breaching environmental guidelines. “The authority will identify all such ongoing projects within its jurisdiction and take appropriate action. A comprehensive report will be filed before the next hearing,” the Greater Noida authority counsel said.

“Fertile agricultural lands are being taken over by the developers, and the magnitude of unauthorised construction is both staggering and deeply concerning. Entire villages are being transformed into unplanned urban slums. What’s more troubling is that not a single statutory approval is being obtained by these unscrupulous builders and colonisers,” said advocate Akash Vashishtha, representing the petitioner, told the tribunal.

Meanwhile, the counsel for the District Ground Water Management Council sought four weeks to submit a formal response. The matter has been listed for further proceedings on July 28, 2025.

The petition raises grave concerns about illegal land development involving extensive excavation and removal of topsoil, resulting in deep pits and significant ecological damage.

According to petitioner Tyagi, the constructions are being carried out without obtaining the mandatory “consent to establish” and “consent to operate” under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, and the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, from the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB).

The colonies also reportedly lack basic infrastructure such as sewerage systems and have not obtained the required no objection certificates (NOCs) for groundwater extraction.

The petition names several villages where such activities are rampant, including Sadullapur, Accheja, Dhoom Manikpur, Roja Jalalpur, Roja Yakubpur, Khairpur Gurjar, Vaidpura, Saini, Sunpura, Kheri Bhanauta, Milak Lacchi, Patwadi, Bisrakh, Khera Dharampura, Chhapraula, Dujana, and Chitehera. In Greater Noida alone, more than 20,000 hectares of land are alleged to have been illegally encroached for construction purposes.

Similar unauthorised development has also been reported in Noida villages like Sorkha, Sarfabad, Garhi Chowkhandi, and Parthala Khanjarpur.