October 23, 2025: The Bombay High Court has granted a 21-month extension to SMS Envoclean Private Limited to set up a new bio-medical waste treatment facility outside Mumbai, allowing the existing plant in Govandi to continue operations in the interim, PTI reported.
A division bench of Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar and Justice Gautam Ankhad passed the order last week, accepting the company’s plea for an extension to establish the new unit in Ambernath, Thane district. The court, however, directed the company to pay Rs 2 lakh to a city-based school for blind children for the delay.
The bench observed that the delay was not due to the company but because of the unavailability of basic infrastructure facilities at the new site. “The delay in establishing the facility is evidently attributable to the ongoing infrastructure development works at the site, which are beyond the control of the applicant company,” the court noted.
In August 2023, the High Court had instructed SMS Envoclean to set up a new facility within two years and subsequently shut down the Govandi incineration plant, following concerns raised by residents over pollution and health hazards.
Initially, the facility was planned at Patalganga-Borivali but was later shifted to the Jambivali industrial area in Ambernath due to its sparse population. The company informed the court that construction progress was hindered by incomplete road connectivity, electricity, and water supply.
Advocate Zaman Ali, representing Govandi residents, argued that the delay continued to cause air pollution and inconvenience.
Modifying its 2023 order, the bench extended the deadline for commissioning the new incinerator by 21 months, acknowledging the company’s compliance with statutory permissions but its dependency on pending infrastructure work.
Source: Mid-day
