Chandigarh, Aug 10: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a Rs 50 lakh fine on the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) for converting water bodies into plots in Sector 50, Gurugram. The fine follows findings that HSVP carved out and allotted plots on two wetlands located on khasra numbers 24 and 28 in Adampur village of Jharsa gram panchayat.
While khasra no. 24—spanning 17 kanal and 8 marlas—remained undeveloped, khasra no. 28, covering 15 kanal and 4 marlas, was developed with roads, sewers, electricity lines, and 17 plots allocated to various individuals. Eleven of these allottees were respondents in the NGT case. The land was handed over to allottees in 2022-23, and sanctioned building plans existed for nine plots, with some construction already underway.
The NGT bench, led by Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr. Afroz Ahmad, criticised HSVP for damaging water bodies instead of preserving them. “It was open to HSVP to protect the water bodies … but instead, it proceeded to damage the water bodies by carving out the plots, allotting the same to respective allottees,” the tribunal noted.
The tribunal observed that ownership transfer and possession did not justify damage to wetlands, emphasizing Rule 4 of the Wetlands Rules, 2017, which prohibits conversion of wetlands for non-wetland use, including encroachment.
“These water bodies were in the village Adampur for providing water resources to the inhabitants, which have been damaged,” the NGT said, adding that under the ‘Polluter Pays’ principle, HSVP must pay Rs 50 lakh as environmental compensation. The amount is to be deposited with the Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) within three months.
The fine will fund restoration efforts guided by a rejuvenation plan to be prepared by a committee comprising HSPCB, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), and the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram. HSPCB will act as the nodal authority for the project.
Following the order, khasra no. 24 must be maintained as a pond, preserving its pre-acquisition status. For khasra no. 28, HSVP and the Haryana government are directed to create a new water body of equal size on alternate land within six months.
