P&M Mall is under the National Green Tribunal’s scanner for alleged violation of environmental norms in its construction.

During the hearing, on September 1, of a petition against construction of the annexe building of the Assembly and P&M Mall without mandatory environment clearance, the tribunal made the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (Biada) managing director a respondent in the case. The National Green Tribunal’s eastern zonal bench in Calcutta, comprising Justices P. Jyothimani and P.C. Mishra, issued a notice to Biada MD in this regard. The mall comes under the Patliputra Industrial Area, of which Biada is the custodian.

Sanjay Sinha, a Patna High Court advocate, filed the petition concerned in the National Green Tribunal in January. “I have pleaded that P&M Mall was built without green clearance despite a built-up area of over 20,000sqm. The Biada has now been made a party to the case and would soon be asked for construction details of the mall,” Sinha said. September 22 is the next date of hearing.

Biada’s local office was on the plot where the mall has come up. P&M Infrastructures Ltd’s website, www.pandminfra.com, says its built-up area is 2.25 lakh sqft (20,903.18sqm). But the mall’s owners are denying it. “The actual built-up area of P&M Mall is around 1,80,000 sqft (16,722.54 sqm approx), the remaining area being open space and setback area,” said Vijay Nath Mishra, general manager, P&M Mall.

The tribunal decided to make Biada a respondent after Patna municipal commissioner Kuldip Narayan informed the bench that P&M Mall comes under Patliputra Industrial area, owned by Biada, and not Patna Municipal Corporation.

During the hearing on July 30, the eastern zonal bench of the green tribunal had directed municipal commissioner Narayan to be present in person on September 1. On the bench’s directives, Narayan also made a detailed presentation on the draft master plan for Patna by urban development and housing department.

Observing rampant violation of environment norms in constructions, the National Green Tribunal on July 30 directed PMC not to issue construction order or completion certificate to buildings that have built-up area of over 20,000sqm.

As per a notification issued by ministry of environment and forests in 2006, all buildings getting constructed on an area of 20,000sqm or above are required to get prior environmental clearance from either the ministry or State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).

Advocate Sanjay Sinha’s petition seeks a list, from the state chief secretary, of all buildings being built or already built after 2006 on over 20,000sqm.

Taking cognisance of the green tribunal’s strict stand against violation of green norms in constructions, the state building construction department has issued instructions to the officers concerned to fulfil all such norms.

“The department is working on around 3,000 projects and some have built-up area above 20,000sqm. Instructions have been issued to continue the work after environmental clearance, where needed. It is in this regard that we recently got environmental clearance for several under-construction government-owned buildings, including Bihar Museum, International Convention Centre and Patna High Court extension building among others,” said Chanchal Kumar, secretary, building construction department.