NGT fined a Pimpri-Chinchwad builder ₹2.55 crore for environmental violations in a Thergaon housing project.
The developer failed to obtain mandatory clearances and built beyond approved plans, damaging the ecological balance.
This comes days after another Pune builder was fined ₹1.7 crore for similar violations on Katraj-Kondhwa Road.
Pune, 6th September 2025: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed an environmental damage compensation of ₹2.55 crore on a private developer for violating norms during the construction of a residential project in Thergaon, Pimpri-Chinchwad. The amount is to be deposited with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
The order, passed on September 3 by the Western Bench of the NGT headed by Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni, came after complaints filed in 2016 by city residents Tanaji Gambhire and Tushar Kakade. They alleged that the builder had illegally raised multiple buildings in Mulshi taluka without mandatory permissions.
According to the tribunal, the project covered over 50,000 square metres across two plots, including eight residential towers, two commercial blocks, parking structures, and clubhouses. Construction on one of the plots alone exceeded 20,000 square metres, which legally required environmental clearance under the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006. However, the developer had never applied for it.
The tribunal ruled that failure to follow environmental safeguards had disrupted the ecological balance and set a harmful precedent for urban growth. Holding the developer responsible under the “polluter pays” principle, the bench ordered compensation of ₹2.55 crore.
This is the second major action in Pune within a week. On August 29, another developer working on Katraj-Kondhwa Road was ordered to pay ₹1.7 crore for similar violations.