NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has sought information from the Ghaziabad District Magistrate on the status of encroachments near Hindon Bird Sanctuary and submit an action plan to remove them.
A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore directed the DM to study the judgment, dated September 20, 2016, and file an affidavit about the status of compliance of its directions.
The green tribunal sought the affidavit from the DM within 10 days on a plea by Ghaziabad resident Sushil Raghav seeking implementation of the judgment.
“It was incumbent on the respondents to have first gone through the judgment and then proceed for execution of the same. During the course of the proceedings, we have found that the respondents have not even noted the area in question and the directions given by the tribunal which are required to be complied with,” said the bench, also comprising expert member SS Garbyal.
The tribunal directed the officers concerned on Wednesday to remain present on July 29, the next date of hearing.
It had earlier directed the Union Environment Ministry to decide within a month on clearance for construction of a six-lane Hindon elevated road connecting NH-24 in Ghaziabad.
The road project, being built by the Ghaziabad Development Authority, was covered under Entry 8(b) of the Schedule to Environmental Clearance Regulations 2006 and it was mandatory for GDA and the state government to obtain environmental clearance (EC).
The 9.3 km six-lane Hindon elevated road provides a link to NH-24 and is intended to ease the congestion in Ghaziabad and enable onward traffic move to other districts in UP.
The tribunal had said, “The project proponent (GDA) should apply for obtaining Environmental Clearance within three months from the date of pronouncement of this judgment.”