Pune: NGT Orders Demolition of 29 Bungalows in Indrayani River Blue Line Area

In a landmark judgment, the Western Zonal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to demolish 29 bungalows constructed within the blue line area of the Indrayani River.

The court has also imposed a ₹5 crore penalty on the bungalow owners for environmental damage. The demolition must be completed within six months, with the civic body required to submit a compliance report within a month after the deadline.

This ruling stems from a 2020 case concerning environmental violations and improper land use conversions in the area. The NGT’s Western Zonal Bench, comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Vijay Kulkarni, issued the order.

Advocates Aniruddha Kulkarni (representing the environment and climate change department, Government of Maharashtra), Manasi Joshi (for MPCB), Shivshankar Swaminathan (for PCMC), and Supriya Dangare (for the water resources department) were present during the hearing.

Advocate Kulkarni emphasized the significance of the judgment, stating, “This is a benchmark judgment given by the NGT. So far, the state environment department has not provided permission for any construction in the blue line or red line area of the river.”

Click here to access the NGT order

PCMC Commissioner Shekhar Singh acknowledged the challenge ahead, noting, “NGT has given us a time frame and the procedure needs to be followed accordingly. We will be doing that as per the current NGT order; however, if the applicant appeals to another court, then we have to follow the order as per the applied court.” He added, “The implementation of this order is going to be challenging, and we are expecting opposition from the people living in that area, however, the corporation has to follow the orders issued by the NGT.”

Sanjay Kulkarni, the environment officer for PCMC, stated, “We haven’t received the notice yet; further action will be taken after we receive the notice.”