E-Paper
NGT rules civic bodies must clear river debris or pay Rs1cr fine, each
The tribunal ordered the local authorities to act along the Mula, Mutha and Pavna riverbeds within a period of month from the date of the order, October 1, 2019
Taking note of the rampant dumping of debris, and encroachments, along canals and riverbeds in the city, the National Green Tribunal (NGT), on Tuesday, instructed the Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad municipal corporations, and the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) to remove the encroachments from the rivers, be liable to pay a fine of Rs 1 crore each.
The NGT bench, headed by SP Wangdi, K Ramakrishnan and Nagin Nanda ordered the local authorities to act along the Mula, Mutha and Pavna riverbeds within a period of month from the date of the order, October 1, 2019.
As per report, the NGT bench ruled, “We, therefore, direct the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and the Pune Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (PMRDA) to immediately act in terms of the recommendations for removal of all unauthorised constructions raised within the prohibited areas and restore the rivers to its original form. All drains and nallahs (canals) discharging untreated waste water and untreated industrial effluent be diverted in order to ensure that the waste is not discharged directly into the rivers and, all obstructions caused to the rivers mentioned by the committee shall be removed.”
The NGT report also stated that an action plan providing the timeline and budgetary provisions for the removal of encroachments must be provided by PMC, PCMC and PMRDA. The NGT also directed the water resource department, state government chief engineer and Pune irrigation circle to be involved in this process.
This decision comes after Pune-based activists Sarang Yadwadkar and Vivek Velenkar filed a case with the NGT about river encroachments.
Municipal commissioner Saurabh Rao, had earlier conducted a site visit and submitted a report to the NGT accepting that the encroachments along the riverbeds are obstructing water flow.
