New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday approved the Kerala State Pollution Control Board’s circular which included building constructions activities from 2,000 to 20,000 square meters in the orange category.

The apex court rejected the petition filed by the Kerala chapter of Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Associations of India (CREDAI).

The bench led by justice Arun Mishra clarified that considering Kerala’s special situation, some conditions were necessary for construction of buildings. Justice Mishra also pointed out that Kerala is the most population dense state in the country.

To control pollution in industrial areas, the central Pollution Control Board (PCB) had categorized construction activities into four – red, orange, green and white. Based on a recommendation from the central PCB, the state PCB had issued a circular included building construction activities between 2,000 and 20,000 square meters in orange category.

The Circular was approved by the Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal. However, the Kerala chapter of CREDAI approached the SC challenging this circular.