4,534 tonnes of solid waste removed from Gaimukh Jakat Naka, Thane; full clean-up expected within two months.
Three factories found polluting Jaipur residential area with air and noise emissions; running illegally on agricultural land.
Nagpur sports complex cleared for construction; 103 trees to be cut, 254 to be transplanted, despite objections.
SEIAA asserts that presence of trees alone cannot justify denial of Environment Clearance.
Work to clear solid waste from the eco-sensitive zone near Gaimukh Jakat Naka (Octroi Post) in Thane, Maharashtra, has commenced, according to a report submitted by the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on July 14, 2025.
To date, 4,534.15 tonnes of waste have been transferred to processing facilities at Daighar and Aatkoli villages, with the remainder expected to be cleared within two months.
TMC in its previous reply on January 22, 2025 stated that temporary dumping occurred because the Daighar facility was not yet fully operational. Once the facility is operational, the garbage at the Gaimukh Octroi Post would be removed. That facility officially began operations on April 12, 2024.
The clean-up follows a petition by Vaibhav Baban Satam, who flagged illegal dumping near the eco-sensitive zone of Sanjay Gandhi National Park and adjacent coastal regulation zones, before the western bench of the NGT.
Three engineering units — Govind Engineering, Shankar Engineering Works and Tanuj Industries — have been found operating illegally in a residential zone on agricultural land in Mahadev Nagar, Harmada, Jaipur, according to a fact-finding committee report submitted to the NGT on July 15, 2025.
The units, engaged in activities such as metal beating, cutting, sanding, drilling and moulding, are running without land conversion approval from the Jaipur Development Authority and two of them also lack pollution control clearance from the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board, the committee found following field visits on January 8, 2025.
Air monitoring conducted at the house of the petitioner, Sunil Kumar Saini, showed particulate matter and metallic dust levels exceeding standards in both operational and non-operational conditions. Ambient noise levels were also above permissible limits.
The report warned of public nuisance, along with significant public health risks, especially to children and the elderly, due to poor air and noise quality.
The State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Maharashtra on July 14, 2025 defended its decision to grant environmental clearance (EC) to a divisional sports complex in Nagpur, stating that the presence of mature trees at a project site alone cannot be grounds for rejection.
SEIAA was responding to objections raised by applicant Sachin Khobragade over EC granted to the divisional sports complex executive committee for the project. The authority noted that 103 trees will be felled, 254 transplanted and a total of 2,086 trees will be planted. There are currently 811 trees on-site, according to minutes of SEIAA meetings and EC records.
While Khobragade claimed there were 1,500 to 2,000 trees over 50 years old, there is no documentary evidence, SEIAA said.
The SEIAA affidavit stated that due process was followed in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification, 2006 and other applicable guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC). The EC was granted after it was recommended by the State Expert Appraisal Committee, subject to compliance with all stipulated conditions.
It clarified that the project proponent is responsible for obtaining all additional approvals, including those under the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975. While tree-cutting permits must be secured from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s Tree Authority, the affidavit noted that an EC is not required solely for tree felling.