The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) issued a stop-work order to Indiabulls Real Estate for starting construction work on its Elphinstone Mills property at Lower Parel without environment clearance. The notice, signed by board member secretary R Mopalwaar on June 17 directed Indiabulls to stop work “which was started in violation of the consent to establish granted to you and for non-compliance of directions issued on January 27, 2011…” It further warned that the board will have “no option than to take further stringent legal action against you, including filing of prosecution for violations of environmental law”.
Indiabulls purchased the eight-acre mill land for Rs 441 crore from the National Textiles Corporation in 2005. “We have received a stop-work notice pertaining to the residential project (Sky Suites) from MPCB. There is no work happening on the site since the last few months as we are awaiting environmental clearance,” a spokesperson for Indiabulls, told Times of India. He added, “We have constructed only up to plinth level after receiving the commencement certificate for construction up to plinth level. The fact that no construction has happened above plinth level can be verified on the site.”
The spokesperson said the company would write to MPCB and certify that no construction has been done and the status quo has been maintained on the site since last year. Advocate Y P Singh, who pursued the matter on behalf of activist Santosh Daundkar, said MPCB should now take follow-up action to disconnect water and electric supply and then to take further legal steps for demolition, as in the case of Adarsh. Last December, MPCB had issued show-cause notices to 12 builders in the Worli-Parel belt for constructing huge residential and commercial buildings without requisite environmental clearances.
