Pune News: NGT Orders Ashtech Pvt Ltd To Pay ₹29.68 Lakh For Operating RMC Plant Despite Closure Notice

Mumbai, Dec 04: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Western Zone has directed M/s Ashtech Pvt. Ltd. to pay Rs 29,68,125 as Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC) to the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) for allegedly operating its Ready-Mix Concrete (RMC) plant in Pune in violation of a closure direction issued in June 2024.

The order was passed by a bench comprising Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh (Judicial Member) and Expert Member Sudhir Kumar Chaturvedi, and was filed by applicant Suyog Kelkar.

In its additional affidavit dated October 30, 2025, the MPCB informed the tribunal that Ashtech Pvt. Ltd. was liable to pay Rs 29.68 lakh as compensation for the period between June 24, 2024, and June 17, 2025.

This period spans from the date of the closure direction issued to the plant to the date when MPCB officers confirmed that the unit was still found operating on a 320 KVA diesel generator despite electricity disconnection by MSEDCL.

Ashtech Pvt. Ltd., in its reply dated November 7, 2025, argued that the plant was not operational on several days during the assessed period and submitted logbook entries showing “zero hours” of operation on those dates. However, during the hearing, counsel for the company informed the tribunal that the respondent was willing to pay the full EDC amount calculated by the MPCB.

Accepting the company’s statement, the tribunal ordered Ashtech Pvt. Ltd. to deposit the entire amount with the MPCB within one month of the order’s upload. The tribunal directed that the compensation be utilized for environmental improvement in the affected area.

At an earlier hearing on July 31, 2025, the MPCB had informed the tribunal that Ashtech’s RMC plant was found operating on a DG set during a June 2025 inspection, nearly a year after the closure direction was issued. Kelkar, the applicant, had alleged continuous pollution, violation of siting guidelines and improper supervision by authorities.

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He argued that the plant violated MPCB’s 2016 siting criteria, with its proximity falling short of the mandatory distance from a highway and school. He also alleged selective action by authorities and sought EDC for a full year of violation.

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