Maharashtra News: NGT Cracks Down On Konkan Municipal Bodies Over Untreated Sewage; Seeks EDC Recovery Status From Urban Development Department

Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has continued to pull up the State of Maharashtra over delays in recovering Environmental Damage Compensation (EDC) from coastal municipal bodies in the Konkan region — including Vengurla, Sawantwadi, Kankavali, and Malvan — for allegedly discharging untreated sewage into the Arabian Sea.

The case was filed after multiple Konkan municipal councils were found to be illegally releasing untreated sewage directly into coastal waters, causing ecological damage and violating environmental norms.

The MPCB had earlier assessed the damage and calculated compensation, but enforcement has been slow due to inter-departmental coordination issues and lack of timely response from local authorities.

In hearings, the Tribunal expressed dissatisfaction over procedural delays and reiterated directions to expedite recovery of the environmental penalties.

The Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) was also instructed to submit updated calculations for EDC, taking into account the continued violations by the municipal councils. It was also directed to expedite criminal proceedings already initiated against the civic bodies of Vengurla, Malvan, Sawantwadi, and Kankavali.

Despite multiple directions, Malvan Municipal Council remained unrepresented during the hearings, prompting the bench to proceed ex-parte against it.

Meanwhile in the recent hearing held, the MPCB informed the bench that the EDC amount currently computed includes penalties for earlier violations that had already been levied under a separate NGT case. The Tribunal allowed this adjustment and asked MPCB to file a revised affidavit with updated figures within two weeks.

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The matter is now scheduled for final hearing on October 15, 2025, thereby emphasising the urgency of addressing coastal pollution and holding defaulting municipal bodies accountable under environmental laws.