Godrej to challenge NGT order quashing green nod to residential project

Realty firm Godrej Properties on Wednesday said it will challenge the NGT order quashing environmental nod granted to one of its housing project in Bengaluru, saying no construction work has been done in the buffer zone of lake. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) quashed the environmental clearance (EC) granted to a high-rise residential project being built by Godrej in Bengaluru for raising construction in the buffer zone of Kaikondrahalli lake.
 
“NGT has passed an order concerning our projects in Bengaluru. We reiterate that as a responsible corporate, we follow all concerned regulations and are confident of our compliance in this project,” Godrej Properties said in a statement.

 
“There has been no construction in the buffer zone and we are confident of our merits and compliances in the case. We are in the process of challenging the said order,” it added.
 

Godrej Properties is the real estate arm of diversified Godrej Group.
 
Earlier, a Bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice S P Wangdi said no environmental clearance could have been granted which permitted construction in the buffer zone of Kaikondrahalli lake and drains merely by imposing a condition that no such construction will be raised.
 
“Stand of the project proponent that the project is permissible cannot be accepted. It is clear that the project stipulates construction in the buffer zone, in violation of zoning plan and judgment of this tribunal as affirmed by the Supreme Court. Accordingly, the appeal is allowed and the EC is quashed,” the Bench said.