After recently according living entity status to the Ganga river, the High Court of Uttarakhand has now issued a notice to Ganga river and others. Hearing on a public interest litigation against location of a trenching ground near the Ganga river in Rishikesh, the High Court of Uttarakhand has issued notices to the Ganga river, the pollution control board, State Government and the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. The respondents have been directed to submit their reply byMay 8.
According to the case details, the Gram Pradhan of Khadri Khadak in Rishikesh, SS Pundeer had filed a public interest litigation in the High Court stating that while on the one hand funds and resources are being spent under the Namami Gange mission on the Ganga river by the Central Government, the state government has provided about 10 acres of land on the banks of the Ganga for establishing a trenching ground. The petitioner has stated that the land in question was allocated for the trenching ground without the approval of the Gram Panchayat. The said spot is on the side of the Ganga river.
The State Government had allocated this land for the trenching ground in 2015. The Gram Panchayat has been opposing this move of the state government for the past two years now.
However, neither the State Government nor the Rishikesh municipality have done anything in this matter. The petitioner further stated that preparations are being made for drafting of a detailed project report for Rs 45 crore trenching ground project on the land.
Hearing on the case, the high court division bench of justices VK Bist and Alok Singh issued notices to the Ganga and others. The director of Namami Gange and Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand will be responding to the court notice on behalf of Ganga, it was stated.