Don’t concretise Navyug Market drain, says NGT
Ghaziabad: Responding to a petition challenging the alleged concretisation of a major drain in Navyug Market, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) accepted the report and recommendations of an expert committee and directed that the drain shall not be concretised
Ghaziabad: Responding to a petition challenging the alleged concretisation of a major drain in Navyug Market, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) accepted the report and recommendations of an expert committee and directed that the drain shall not be concretised.
The directions by the tribunal came in connection with a petition filed by Manoj Bansal. The petition contended that sewage and industrial effluents were being discharged into the drain in violation of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.
The drain, which is adjacent to the headquarters of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), falls under the jurisdiction of the Ghaziabad municipal corporation.
The petition said the drain has been covered and concretised by the civic body against the recommendations of an expert committee appointed by the NGT on October 13, 2014, pertaining to the restoration of river Yamuna.
“We have accepted the report and have issued directions in terms of recommendations of the committee. We further direct that the drain should not be concretised because it adversely affects charging of groundwater. It is important because groundwater in the area has already been depleted,” the tribunal said in its order on Friday.
The tribunal in July last year, sought the formation of a joint committee comprising officials from the National Capital Region Planning Board, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, the Ghaziabad municipal corporation and the district magistrate. It also sought an action taken report within two months.
The joint inspection was carried out on November 21, 2022, and a report was submitted before the tribunal in December.
The Navyug Market is a major commercial area along with residential spaces and has been in existence for the past 60-70 years, while the drain was constructed about three years ago.
The petition report said that the civic body and representatives of land-owning agencies should ensure that “activities along the drain’s catchment area are in accordance with approved land use as this will further ensure regulation of solid as well as liquid waste finding its way into the drain”.
The report added that the drain should only be covered in accordance with the Function Plan on Drainage for National Capital Region (approved in the 65th meeting of the planning committee of the NCR Planning Board).
It also recommended that the corporation should conduct a survey of the drain and ensure there is no mixing of sewer into the drain.
“Bar screens should be installed at adequate locations and solid waste finding its way into the drain should be removed regularly from these areas,” the report said.
The counsel for the petitioner said that the issues raised in the petition were admitted.
“There was an attempt to concretise the drain by placing slabs and there is a huge flow of sewage into it. The city faces similar issues with other major drains and the corporation should take this order as a basis and take action on the issues raised,” said Akash Vashistha, the petitioner’s counsel.
Ghaziabad municipal commissioner Nitin Gaur said, “We will comply with the directions given by the NGT in connection with the petition and also regarding the expert committee report.”
