Mumbai | September 8, 2026
The National Green Tribunal has directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) not to distribute plots in the Wadala Truck Terminal notified area until the authority obtains the required prior environmental clearance for the entire site, according to a report by Loksatta – Mumbai.
The order was issued by a bench of the NGT’s western zone in Pune comprising judicial member Dinesh Kumar Singh and expert member Dr Sujit Kumar Bajpai. The proceedings followed an application filed by social activist Arun Gaikwad challenging plot distribution in the Wadala area without the environmental approvals required under applicable rules.
The tribunal noted that the Wadala notified area covers more than 50 hectares and directed MMRDA to obtain prior environmental clearance from the competent authority for the entire area before distributing further plots. The order also states that plot owners who have already obtained environmental clearance must comply with the conditions attached to the clearance issued for the Wadala notified area. Construction by such owners can continue only in accordance with valid environmental approvals, the report said.
The Wadala Truck Terminal site covers 122 hectares. The Maharashtra government has designated MMRDA as the special planning authority for the area, where the authority plans residential and non-residential plots, schools, colleges, transport facilities, commercial complexes and other buildings.
The area had emerged as a potential development zone after vacant plots in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, where MMRDA is also the special planning authority, were sold. MMRDA had turned its attention to land at the Wadala Truck Terminal as it seeks revenue for its projects. The authority is currently facing debt-related financial pressures, according to the report.
The applicant’s lawyer, Aditya Pratap, said the order could help prevent uncontrolled construction and affect other projects initiated without environmental clearance. He also alleged that substantial areas reserved for parks had been altered for other uses, and said that an environmental clearance for the entire site would have clearly demarcated parks, open grounds and other environmentally important areas.
An MMRDA spokesperson told Loksatta – Mumbai that the authority had received a copy of the tribunal’s order and would undertake the action required under it. The next step is for MMRDA to pursue the environmental clearance process for the notified area before proceeding with further plot distribution.
