HC asks Noida authority to explain sewage treatment setup in Lotus Boulevard

The Allahabad high court has ordered Noida authority to explain sewage treatment issues at Lotus Boulevard, amid AOA's claims of inadequate STPs during OC issuance.

The Allahabad high court has directed the Noida authority to file a detailed affidavit explaining the sewage treatment infrastructure at Lotus Boulevard, a residential society in Sector 100. The court’s order came on July 7, released Sunday, while hearing a petition filed by the society’s Apartment Owners Association (AOA), which alleged that occupancy certificates (OCs) were granted without proper sewage treatment plants (STPs) in place. 

The AOA has claimed that only one-and-a-half STPs were partially built when OCs were given, even though four fully operational plants were required. Residents say the faulty setup has caused years of sewage issues. (Sunil Ghosh/HT Archives)

The AOA has claimed that only one-and-a-half STPs were partially built when OCs were given, even though four fully operational plants were required. Residents say the faulty setup has caused years of sewage issues.

The court has asked the authority to submit the affidavit by July 16. It should include how many STPs were required under building bylaws when OCs were issued in 2012 and 2016, details of what the builder constructed, the current condition of the STPs, names of officials who signed off on the OCs, and any corrective action taken since then. The STP was handed over ten years ago, residents said.

“The chief executive officer of Noida (authority) is hereby directed to file an affidavit before this court,” the bench of justice Mahesh Chandra Tripathi and justice Vinod Diwakar said. The matter is sub judice and will be heard on July 16.

The affidavit must also mention the names and designations of officials who approved the OCs and detail any remedial steps later taken by the authority or the resolution professional to address deficiencies in STP infrastructure.

Responding to the allegations, RP Singh, general manager of the Noida authority heading the water works department, said, “We will file a detailed reply as per the court order. Without the STP function, the authority does not issue OC. Thus, the allegations made by the AOA are not correct.” 

The dispute over Lotus Boulevard comes amid a wider enforcement drive launched by the Noida Authority in April against several group housing societies accused of operating non-functional STPs or releasing untreated sewage into stormwater drains. Multiple attempts by HT to reach the Apartment Owners Association and the developer for a response went unanswered.