Bhubaneswar: The Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) has issued a show cause and demand notice of Rs 3.5 crore to a realtor towards an environmental compensation fee for extracting groundwater in Bhubaneswar without obtaining due permission from the authorities.
As a result of the illegal extraction of groundwater, residents of a prominent city apartment are looking at a possible water scarcity.
According to a report of The Times of India, the show-cause notice was issued to the realtor in April 2024 for the housing project in Kalinga Nagar. The notice stated that groundwater was extracted without obtaining NOC from the concerned authorities.
As per the letter, the illegal extraction of groundwater amounts to theft. Exercising the power under the environment Protection Act of 1986, CGWB has asked the realtor why the extraction structures should not be sealed for the illegal act.
As per sources, a team of CGWB visited the project in May and following an inspection demanded a compensation fee of Rs 3.5 crore from the realtor for the illegal withdrawal of groundwater.
Meanwhile, the residents of the area alleged that the realtor didn’t respond to the show-cause notice and pay the amount. As a result, more than 4,000 residents living in the 18 blocks of the apartment are alarmed over the possible water scarcity in their area.
