India, June 30 -- The construction of more than 70,000 housing units across 493 projects in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) has come to a standstill following a directive from the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Bhopal, a statutory body in India that deals with cases related to environmental protection and other natural resources.

The tribunal's order mandates that all real estate projects falling within a 5 km radius of eco-sensitive zones must now secure environmental clearance from the Central government instead of state-level authorities - a significant departure from earlier norms.

Until this directive, the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) had the jurisdiction to evaluate and clear such proposals. The new r...