A first information report has been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation against Godrej Estate Developers, an arm of Godrej Properties, alleging that the company did not get the clearance of the National Board of Wildlife (NBWL) for a commercial building in Chandigarh.
In an exchange filing, Godrej Properties said that the FIR has been filed under the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. The FIR has alleged that the clearance from the NBWL was not obtained for the project Godrej Eternia, as it fell within 10 km of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary and therefore constituted a violation of Environmental Clearance for the project.
It said the CBI had initiated an enquiry and the company and its officials were co-operating with the probe by providing documents and information.
Godrej Eternia is a commercial building in Chandigarh and in July 2024, the office of the estate officer in the union territory revoked the occupancy certificate issued to it in June 2015 and the approved building plans for the project citing violations of conditions of environmental clearance.
In its filing today the company said that the FIR registered by the Anti-Corruption Branch of the CBI was, “based on a wrong premise and a misunderstanding of the facts.”
“It is our stand that the EC never stipulated any condition mandating clearance from NBWL,” the company said. It pointed out that a gazette notification in January 2017 had notified the final limits of the environmentally sensitive zone (ESZ) at a maximum 2.75 km from the boundary of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary. “Our project is 6.6 km away from the boundary of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.”
Stating that the action by the investigating body was in “furtherance to the notices issued last year on the same alleged ground,” it said the notices were immediately challenged before the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, “demonstrating that no blanket ESZ of 10 kms was imposed by the Supreme Court.”
The company also pointed out that the action by CBI was being taken 10 years after the completion of the project with requisite approvals.
It added that it was still assessing the material impact of the action on the financials and operations of the company.