CHENNAI : The National Green tribunal has ordered a developer and a piling foundation company to pay a fine of Rs 25 lakh to Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board for causing noise pollution to residents on Ormes Road in Kilapuak while building a 10-storey building. The project was carried out without obtaining a planning permission.
According to sources, KLP Projects was building a double basement floor plus ground floor (gymnasium, multi-purpose hall, indoor games and prayer hall) plus 10 floors residential building with 17 dwelling units. It was using the services of Veda Pile Foundation. The piling company was using the ‘driven-pile method’, which was causing immense noise pollution and nuisance to residents in the area and also to a hospital opposite the property. The pile foundation was done without obtaining consent for establishment of the board.
Since pile driving was being done round the clock all seven days of the week, residents complained that it was impacting normal life, affecting senior citizens, professionals, students, children and patients. Despite complaining to authorities, no action was not taken following which the residents approached the National Green Tribunal.
The order, which was passed by judicial member Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member Satyagopal Korlapati, hit out at the authorities for failing to stop the project.
“The authorities also ought to have kept a constant vigil on such kind of projects and should not have allowed the project proponents to commence their work. At least after having found that they had started the excavation work and pile foundation work without authority, exercising their powers, the authorities ought to have stopped them. They should not have allowed the applicant to rush to this forum for relief which would amount to dereliction of duty on the part of the authorities,” Pushpa Sathyanarayana observed.
The tribunal also said the project of the magnitude requires a thorough scrutiny not only regarding the compliance by the project proponent but also to the related environmental problems and health hazards that may be caused to the nearby residents and inmates of the buildings. Therefore, it would be appropriate for the planning authorities to insist on a noise proof method while doing the pile foundation, the tribunal said.