NGT disposes of plea against barat ghar at CWG Village

The plea alleged that the Delhi Development Authority had started work on the community hall without obtaining the mandatory environmental clearances under the Environmental Impact Assessment Notification of 2006.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has disposed of a plea filed by the residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Commonwealth Games village, which claimed that a barat ghar inside the sports complex was being built without an environmental clearance. The tribunal, however, noted that no evidence of violation was presented.

The applicant’s request for a direction to the authorities to decide its representation was turned down. (HT archive)

The plea, filed by the RWA in April 2025, had alleged that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had started work on the community hall without obtaining the mandatory environmental clearances under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification of 2006.

During the hearing on October 9, the bench headed by NGT chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel observed that the applicant failed to share how the project violated environmental norms or breached prescribed limits under the act.

“When we had drawn the attention of the counsel for the applicant to the requirement of the EIA Notification dated September 14, 2006, he could not point out any pleading indicating that the alleged construction is in excess of the limit,” the October 9 order mentioned.

The applicant’s request for a direction to the authorities to decide its representation was also turned down. “Unless some prima facie violation of environmental norm is pointed out, such a direction need not be issued,” the bench said, stating it found no ground to entertain the plea.

The CWG village complex was built ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games along the Yamuna river near Akshardham. There are over 1,100 flats in the area, spread across 34 towers and was developed by the DDA. The complex has fully connected internal roads and landscaped greens and includes a sports and recreation zone, among other facilities.