Gurugram: No environmental nod, Malibu Towne served closure notice

GURUGRAM: The Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) has ordered that all
constructions in Malibu Towne, a residential society across 225 acres in Sector 47, be stopped
with “immediate effect” over lack of environmental clearances.
The closure notice will not affect the 2,500 families living in the society. However, plans to invest
in a flat there will have to be deferred until the developer complies with the order and seeks an
environmental nod from the pollution board.
According to the order, the developer will not be allowed to carry out any sale deed related to a
flat, plot, house, shop or any other component of the project. All construction activities will have
to stop. The power distribution utility has also been asked not to provide any new connections to
the project.
“Malibu Estate Pvt. Ltd, Malibu Towne, Sohna Road, Gurugram has established and operating a
residential plotted colony, which is polluting in nature and is covered under red category,” the
HSPCB notice, issued by chairperson P Raghvendra Rao, reads. The notice was issued under
Section 33A of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974, and Section 31A of the
Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
“Yes, a closure notice has been issued to the developer of Malibu Towne. We asked the town
and country planning department, which issued the licence and approved the layout, to ensure
that all constructions at the project were stopped until the developer secured the clearance,”
said Kuldeep Singh, the regional officer at HSPCB in Gurugram .
“The order is
strict. No sale and purchase of any component of the project can be carried out for now. No new power connection will be offered either,” he added.
The project came under the pollution board’s scanner when it carried out an inspection of the
three sewage treatment plants at the society. The sewer line was found directly connected to
the GMDA’s drain network and all waste was being released into it without being treated. As
expected, all samples exceeded the prescribed limits.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) norms, BOD for a river or waterbody
should be less than 30 mg/l and COD lower than 250 mg/l. While BOD is the amount of oxygen
required to decompose organic matter, COD is the measurement of the total oxygen needed to
oxidise all organic matter into carbon dioxide and water.
The BOD level of the sewage samples collected from Malibu Towne was 48 mg/l, while the COD
was 260 mg/l. Several other components, like sulphide and the amount of oil and grease,
exceeded the prescribed limits. Repeated calls to the number displayed at the developer’s
website went unanswered.