E-Paper
Ludhiana MC commissioner served contempt notice by NGT over green belt encroachment
The tribunal warned that if the commissioner fails to justify the non-compliance, he may face prosecution under Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a contempt notice to the municipal commissioner of Ludhiana and directed him to appear in person before the tribunal during the next hearing. The notice was issued in response to a contempt petition filed by members of the Public Action Committee (PAC), accusing the commissioner of failing to comply with the tribunal’s earlier orders regarding restoration of green belt land in Sarabha Nagar and Model Town Extension.
The tribunal warned that if the commissioner fails to justify the non-compliance, he may face prosecution under Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010. The bench also said that arrest and detention in civil prison and imposition of environmental compensation on the MC could be considered for the damage caused due to encroachments and delay in remediation.
PAC members Kapil Arora and Vikas Arora said they had initially filed a case highlighting illegal construction by the MC on the green belt of Leisure Valley in Sarabha Nagar, including a Zone-D extension office and a scrap yard. They also raised the issue of encroachments in Model Town Extension. In July, the Tribunal had directed the commissioner to restore the green belt areas and submit a compliance report.
However, the residents’ body alleged that only partial demolition took place and the report submitted was incomplete, leading the bench to reopen the case. On January 13 this year, the tribunal had already warned that failure to implement its orders was punishable under the law and could lead to coercive action.
PAC also informed that another contempt petition is pending before the tribunal against the construction of a library on park land at Dholewal Chowk, and orders in that case are awaited.
