SV Elegant Apartment in Kumbena Agrahara village has been fined Rs 87.18 lakh by the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board (KSPCB) for encroaching on a stormwater drain buffer zone.
The KSPCB found that the apartment complex had constructed several structures, including a swimming pool, in violation of the buffer zone of a nearby nala.
The KSPCB enforced the ‘polluter pays’ principle under the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took up the case after a petition by activist Paramesh V.
The illegal structures were demolished last year, and Venkateshwara Builders, who constructed the apartment, were found to be non-compliant with the directions issued in the Consent for Establishment (CFE) dated August 29, 2018.
The KSPCB has imposed the environmental compensation of Rs 87.18 lakh by taking into account the number of days the violation persisted.
The CPCB guidelines require polluters to pay compensation for any discharge in violation of consent conditions.