NGT orders Haryana agencies to clear encroachments from Jharsa pond

A survey found a temple, masonry structure, seven jhuggis and a road and footpath built on land recorded as a natural water body

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed Haryana authorities to remove encroachments from the Jharsa pond in Sector 47 and restore the water body, after a survey found a temple, a masonry structure, seven jhuggis and even a road and footpath built over parts of the land recorded as a natural water body.

NGT orders Haryana agencies to clear encroachments from Jharsa pond

The tribunal, in an order pronounced on August 24, said the identified encroachments were raised after a May 25, 2015 status quo order passed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court and were therefore not protected by it.

The NGT Principal Bench comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, judicial member, and Dr A Senthil Vel, expert member, directed the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG), Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB), Haryana Water Resources (Conservation, Regulation and Management) Authority, and District Magistrate (Haryana) to remove the encroachments in accordance with law and restore and rejuvenate the pond as per Supreme Court and NGT directions and Central Pollution Control Board guidelines.

The order came in a petition filed by Sector 47 resident Virendra Tyagi over the deteriorating condition of the water body at Khasra No. 6//26 in Fatehpur Jharsa. The 2.47 acres of land is recorded as a ‘johad’ or natural water body.

A demarcation by HSVP and revenue authorities found a 39-square-yard temple, a five-square-yard masonry structure and seven jhuggis spread over 275 square yards on the pond land. Another 1,077 square yards was occupied by a road and footpath constructed by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP).

MCG said it was responsible for maintenance, cleaning, rehabilitation and removal of encroachments. It later stated that the water body had been developed with GMDA, with fencing, a footpath, open gym and benches, while GMDA provided a treated water connection from the Behrampur STP.

The case began in May 2023, when Tyagi alleged that encroachment and waste dumping had deteriorated the pond.