GPCB Withdraws Complaint Against Surat Diamond Bourse Following Government Instructions

12th June 2025 at 10:10 AM

1 minute read

Surat News: Eight directors of the Surat Diamond Bourse project, which commenced in March 2018 at Block No. 177-P in Khajod village of Choryasi taluka in Surat district, had violated the Environment (Protection) Act. The Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB) had filed a criminal complaint eight years ago in the Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against these directors for violating the Environment (Protection) Act. Following government instructions, the complainant GPCB officer withdrew this complaint on May 31st through “withdraw puraysis” (withdrawal proceedings).

What’s the Full Story?

Regional Officers M.S. Dasani and S.H. Vaijjanapurkar from the Gujarat Pollution Control Board office located at Belgium Square on Ring Road, Surat, conducted an inspection of the Surat Diamond Bourse project site at Block No. 177-P in Khajod village, Choryasi taluka on March 16, 2018. The GPCB officers met with Surat Diamond Bourse project director Mahesh Gadhvi and conducted the site inspection after serving notice under Section 10 of the E.P. Act.

During this inspection, it was revealed that the Surat Diamond Bourse directors had not obtained an Environment Clearance Certificate (EC) from the government. When board officers requested the EC from the responsible person, they were unable to produce it.

GPCB officers asked the Surat Diamond Bourse authorities to provide details including the EC, Surat Municipal Corporation permission, total plot area, built-up area, construction start date, directors’ names and addresses.

Following this, the project directors showed the project’s built-up area as 83,372.68 square meters. Additionally, they stated that this project fell under Schedule-8 of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification dated September 14, 2006, and that they had applied for an Environment Clearance Certificate. However, land preparation and construction had begun before receiving the EC certificate.

Therefore, on May 21, 2018, the GPCB Regional Officer filed a complaint in the Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Court against Surat Diamond Bourse and its eight directors under Sections 15, 16, and 19 of the Environment Protection Act 1986 for violating the notification of the Government of India’s Ministry of Environment and Forests.