The National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) bench here has directed a builder to restore the environmental damage allegedly caused to a housing society in Khandala due to illegal hill cutting and tree felling. It asked the municipal council to restore the destroyed recreation ground and hill side at the Vikas Valley housing society at Khandala near here to its original form. The bench, in its judgement on February 28, also ordered the developer to pay Rs one lakh as litigation cost to the applicants – Nanik Rupani and Ashish Vaid – who had approached the NGT alleging “environmental damage” in the area. The tribunal ruled that the respondents – Vikas Developers and Vikas Gupta – shall jointly or severally pay the costs and expenses incurred for restitution of the space and deposit Rs 40 lakh with Lonavala Municipal Council within a month. The developers shall not in any manner whatsoever illegally and unauthorisedly fell the trees or carry out hill cutting in the project area of Khandala at Maval taluka in Pune district, it ruled.
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