The Supreme Court on Wednesday lifted the ban on construction activities in Maharashtra and Uttarakhand after the two State governments submitted their respective solid waste management policies to the court.
The Maharashtra government had framed its policy in April 2017, but had not informed the Supreme Court about it.
“The decision of the Hon’ble Supreme Court brings relief to home seekers who were faced with the possibility of delayed possession of their homes,” National Real Estate Development Council (Naredco) President and Hiranandani Group MD Niranjan Hiranandani said in a statement. “Across construction sites in Maharashtra, jobs are secure and, with construction activity continuing, all stakeholders will be pleased that offtake of construction material will continue.”
In its order on December 12, 2017, the Supreme Court had directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests to check the implementation of Solid Waste Management Rules, which came into force in April 2016, by State-level advisory bodies.
Subsequently, affidavits on rules were filed by Haryana, Jharkhand, Odisha, Nagaland, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. But most other States, including Maharashtra, had not done so.
“The SC order will pave the way for redevelopment of old buildings in Mumbai and new projects in other parts of the State. It is pertinent to note that the State already has solid waste management rules in place,” said Marathon Group MD Mayur Shah.
Developers in Maharashtra have been following the Solid Waste Management Rules for over two-and-a-half years now. The State’s Urban Development Department had in 2016 directed that developers must create a facility for residents to segregate dry and wet garbage on the premises.
Farshid Cooper, Director, Spenta Corporation, said that while inorganic waste goes to the BMC, organic waste is converted into manure using organic waste converters (OWCs). “The society can engage the services of any agency to operate the OWC and sell the manure in the open market,” he said.
Spenta is also exploring the use of biogas converters to process waste into biogas, which is transmitted to the grid for electricity generation.