MPCB issues show-cause notice to Juhu hotel for violating CRZ laws
MUMBAI: The state pollution control board issued a show-cause notice to a hotel located in coastal regulation zone (CRZ) II category for not taking CRZ permissions.
Based on a complaint by a city based NGO, Watchdog Foundation, last month, Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) directed Hotel Beach Garden, a three-star hotel located at Juhu Tara Road opposite Juhu Beach, to respond to the allegations and cite reasons why it should not be asked to shut down since the hotel had not taken permission from MPCB.
A hearing has been scheduled next week for final directions to the hotel.
This is the first time the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) took action regarding a CRZ violation issue, MPCB officers confirmed.
“For obtaining CRZ clearance, especially for a hotel like this which is in close proximity to the shoreline, environment clearance under Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, is mandatory before construction. This hotel has been functioning without any clearances
from MPCB. All other major hotels in this area have taken clearances,” said JB Sangerwar, regional officer (Mumbai), MPCB.
“Based on the hearing, if the hotel is unable to provide reasons, closure notice along with disconnection of water and electricity facilities will be initiated,” he said.
“Your hotel may attract the provisions of CRZ notification as you have not obtained CRZ clearance for your hotel activity. Please explain why legal action should not be initiated against you for violation of consent conditions,” reads the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA), MPCB and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) are
notice undersigned by Sangerwar. HT has a copy of the notice. A spokesperson from the Hotel Beach Garden management said that they did receive the notice but the allegations are false and baseless.
“The notice mentions the hotel as a manufacturing unit, which we are not. The allegations by the activists are all false and an attempt to gain publicity. We will be writing to the MPCB regarding the notice,” the spokesperson said.
Members of Watchdog Foundation said the entire property was illegal.
“The area was declared as a needed apart from basic environment clearance from the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
green zone in the BMC development plan (DP), 1991. Subsequently, the land-use was changed to residential area in the draft DP of 2015 and 2016. The said plot has been de-reserved to accommodate influential hotelier having political connections which we vehemently object. Irrespective of this, no permissions have been taken by any authority rendering the construction illegal,” said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee, Watchdog Foundation. “Previously, MPCB had never taken up action in CRZ violation; it is a welcome step by them,” he said.