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Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Occupancy certificates without STPs? High Court seeks report on Lotus Boulevard
Noida: Allahabad High Court has asked Noida Authority to submit a detailed affidavit explaining how occupancy certificates (OCs) were granted to Lotus Boulevard project despite allegations of incomplete sewage treatment infrastructure. The order, issued on July 7, came in response to a petition filed by the society's apartment owners' association, which claimed that the mandatory sewage treatment plants (STPs) were not fully functional when the certificates were issued. The bench of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Vinod Diwakar has asked the Authority CEO to file the affidavit by the next date of hearing on July 16. The report must clarify several issues, such as the number of STPs that were required to be built at the time occupancy certificates were issued in 2012 and 2016. It should also provide details of each of these STPs constructed by the builder, including the dates when they were handed over and the stages of completion before the certificates were granted. This would ascertain if the developer — Granite Gate Properties — had adhered to the building bylaws and environmental guidelines. You Can Also Check: Noida AQI | Weather in Noida | Bank Holidays in Noida | Public Holidays in Noida The HC also demanded a thorough account of the current condition of all STPs in the society, specifying both their number and capacity. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Use an AI Writing Tool That Actually Understands Your Voice Grammarly Install Now Undo The affidavit must name the officials responsible for verifying the infrastructure before granting occupancy certificates for each tower. It should also mention any remedial measures the Authority or the resolution professional initiated to rectify deficiencies, if any, in the STP network. The AOA also alleged that several Authority officials — in collusion with the builder — issued occupancy certificates for multiple towers without ensuring the construction of four mandatory STPs. According to the petition, only "one and a half STPs were partly built" when the certificates were issued — first for towers 1-7 in Aug 2012, and later for towers 8-10, 12, 12A, and 14-27 in March 2016. The Authority has denied these allegations, claiming that all approvals were granted in compliance with building bylaws and environmental norms. The legal scrutiny comes at a time the Authority has initiated a broader crackdown on housing societies with non-functional STPs. Since April this year, several societies have faced FIRs under environmental laws and fines ranging from Rs 12 lakh to Rs 30 lakh for discharging untreated sewage into stormwater drains. The enforcement drive has affected multiple properties, such as RG Residency, Lotus Panache, Sikka Karmik, Purvanchal Royal Park, Aims Max Gardenia, Prateek Stylome, and Amrapali Silicon City. The Authority has even sought the cancellation of registrations for some societies and filed police complaints against others, including Supertech Cape Town's AOA. The HC, however, stayed any action against RG Residency in May. A recent Right to Information query has revealed that 43 group housing societies in Noida lack the mandatory 'consent to operate' for their STPs.
Time of India
15-05-2025
- Time of India
HC stays coercive action against Noida condo in STP row
Noida: The Allahabad high court has restrained Noida Authority from taking coercive action against a group housing society in Sector 120 for allegedly discharging untreated sewage into stormwater drains. It was on May 5 that the division bench of Justices Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and Anil Kumar-X restrained the Authority from taking any coercive action against RG Residency. The society had challenged an FIR lodged on the Authority's recommendation on April 8 at the Sector 113 police station, which invoked various sections of the Environment Protection Act, Air Act, and Water Act. "Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, as an interim measure, it is provided that till the next date of listing, respondents are restrained from taking any coercive action against the petitioner pursuant to the impugned FIR," the court stated, directing all respondents to file counter-affidavits within six weeks. The matter was then scheduled for hearing in the second week of July. The legal battle originates from an inspection by the Authority's environment cell on Nov 16 last year, which claimed that the society's sewage treatment plant (STP) wasn't meeting prescribed standards. However, RG Residency's counsel mounted a strong defence, highlighting several procedural irregularities. The society argued that the inspection was conducted without prior notice or the presence of their representatives, and no show-cause notice or sample report was ever shared with them. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Queima de estoque: A bolsa mais desejada do mundo agora em oferta imperdível Liquidação de Bolsa Undo A key argument presented was that FIRs under environmental laws could only be initiated through complaints from designated authorities after a mandatory 60-day notice period. The counsel questioned the Authority's legal standing to initiate criminal proceedings under these specialised environmental laws, while also pointing to a 143-day gap between the inspection and the registration of an FIR. The case gains additional significance against the backdrop of the Authority's recent crackdown on environmental violations. Last month, Authority CEO Lokesh M issued a warning about deregistering apartment owners' associations (AOAs) of societies that violated environmental norms. "Societies flouting sewage treatment norms will face not just FIRs but complete deregistration of their AOAs. We will urge the registrar of firms, societies, and chits in Meerut to implement these measures," he had said, linking untreated sewage with persistent foul smell in several sectors, describing it as "a grave environmental concern and an urban hygiene issue". The Authority's recent enforcement drive targeted multiple societies, including RG Residency (Sector 120), Sikka Karmik (Sector 78), Lotus Boulevard (Sector 100), Lotus Panache (Sector 110), Purvanchal Royal Park (Sector 137), Aims Max Gardenia (Sector 75), Prateek Stylome (Sector 45), and Amrapali Silicon City (Sector 76).Few societies were accused of either operating non-functional STPs or bypassing them entirely. The crackdown extended to Maharishi Ashram near Lotus Panache, with the Authority seeking deregistration for both the ashram and Panache through the Meerut registrar's office.
