The Odisha government’s plan to develop the Mahanadi riverfront by setting up musical fountain, light system, garden, footpath and coffee bar suffered a major setback with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejecting the proposal for constructions in the 426 acres of reclaimed land from the flood plain zone.
Acting on two separate petitions, the five-member bench of NGT headed by justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said the green bench was guided by ‘precautionary principle’ under Section 20 of the NGT Act and there is anticipated danger of flooding. The Tribunal earlier appointed a seven-member expert committee to assess the ecological impact and combined hazard vulnerability of the reclaimed riverbed.
“It is made clear that no concretisation of any sort will be allowed in the entire 426 acres of land. While allowing Baliyatra(a mega fair held near the riverbank every year) in 34 acres of land, all due precautions for maintaining sanitation and hygiene shall be observed,” the bench ordered.
The NGT bench said 2/3rd of the reclaimed land may be developed as a dense forest, while rest may be developed as parks/playgrounds without any permanent or temporary constructions. No commercial activity will be allowed.
The bench further said the area where the forest is to be developed may be handed over to the forest department after demarcation. “The rest of the area is to be maintained by the concerned local body/flood and irrigation department, as may be decided by the Odisha government,” the bench said while ruling out restoration of the reclaimed riverbed on grounds of viability. Since around 38 villages located close to the river bank are prone to flood, the government should take up measures to protect those villages, the NGT said in the ruling.
{{/usCountry}}The bench further said the area where the forest is to be developed may be handed over to the forest department after demarcation. “The rest of the area is to be maintained by the concerned local body/flood and irrigation department, as may be decided by the Odisha government,” the bench said while ruling out restoration of the reclaimed riverbed on grounds of viability. Since around 38 villages located close to the river bank are prone to flood, the government should take up measures to protect those villages, the NGT said in the ruling.
{{/usCountry}}Earlier the NGT had formed the 7-member expert committee to look into two separate complaints which alleged that Mahanadi river bed near Cuttack was being illegally filled up under a project called Balijatra River Front Improvement to monetise the riverbed for commercial purposes which will reduce the water retaining capacity of the river at Jobra Barrage at Cuttack.
Under the project, an open air market, craft bazar, food stalls like Dilli Haat, New Delhi, and Ekamra Haat, Bhubaneswar, to promote local art and crafts as well as applique work, filigree work was to be constructed to improve livelihood and create employment in the region. The project sought to reserve 100 acres for the annual Bali Jatra festival held for 9 days in November every year. Besides, an open air auditorium was planned for performance of Odissi dance and other Indian dance forms to promote culture and tourism in the state.