NGT slaps Rs. 25 lakh penalty for noisy construction works during night
TNPCB issued a show cause notice on January 14 stating that the unit was carrying out the construction of a pile foundation for their construction project without obtaining 'Consent for Establishment’ from the Board and works were stopped.
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CHENNAI: While condemning Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA), Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) for not acting against violations, the southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slapped Rs. 25 lakh penalty against builders who carried out noisy foundation works during night hours in Kilpauk.
Observing that the authorities ought to have kept a constant vigil on such projects and should not have allowed the applicants to rush to NGT for relief, the bench comprising justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati said, "We strictly warn the Planning Authorities viz., CMDA and GCC and also the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to take immediate and appropriate action in these kind of matters without waiting for somebody’s complaint pointing out the violations."
The Tribunal directed KLP Projects India Limited and Veda Pile Foundation - firms that carried out the work - to pay Rs. 25 lakh to the TNPCB and instructed the authorities to closely monitor noise generated at the site and other violations till the completion of the construction. The TNPCB should use the penalty amount to plant trees preferably in the area.
Residents of Ormes Road in Kilpauk filed a complaint against KLP Projects India Limited and Veda Pile Foundation saying that the operation of the piling work with great noise having an unbearable decibel level causes a nuisance to the senior citizens, students of both schools and colleges and also the patients or a person with ailments.
Citing Rule 5A(3) of Noise Pollution (Regulation and Control) Rules, 2000 that says sound emitting construction equipment shall not be used or operated during night time in residential areas and silence zones, the Tribunal, during an earlier hearing observed that even as the operations started, the residents nearby objected to the same which was not heeded.
TNPCB issued a show cause notice on January 14 stating that the unit was carrying out the construction of a pile foundation for their construction project without obtaining 'Consent for Establishment’ from the Board and works were stopped.
In their submission, the applicants stated that there is a hospital within the prohibited distance from the project site. The silence zone is an area comprising not less than 100 metres around hospitals, educational institutions, courts, religious places or any other area which is declared as such by the competent authority.
Before approaching the NGT, the complainants raised the issue with TNPCB, Chennai Corporation and other authorities about the noise pollution due to the works.