The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the chairman of the NHAI and others over the alleged illegal construction of a highway encroaching upon a protected pond in Delhi's Southwest district.
The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report claiming that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) built the Urban Extension Road II over the pond in Goyla Khurd village, which was protected under the Delhi Water Bodies Act.
In an order dated October 16, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said, "The news item alleges that the NHAI proceeded without conducting a necessary environmental impact assessment, potentially endangering local biodiversity and disrupting the ecosystem… It is alleged that 80 per cent of the pond is already lost to the construction."
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The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel, said the report raised "substantial issues" related to compliance with provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules and Environment (Protection) Act.
It impleaded as respondents or parties the chairman of NHAI, member secretaries of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the National Wetland Authority and the district magistrate of Southwest Delhi.
"Let notice be issued to the respondents for filing their response/reply by way of affidavit before the tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing," the tribunal said, scheduling the next hearing in the matter to February 6.
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According to the news report, the encroached pond in Goyla Khurd village is among the list of over 1,000 ponds that are marked as protected.
The encroachment is is a violation of orders of the Supreme Court and high court, as well as the wetland rules, the article mentioned citing activists.
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