The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed UP Chief Secretary to conduct a meeting with local agencies and pass appropriate direction to ensure the conservation of green belts and green areas in Ghaziabad. The green tribunal ordered to submit the report within a month's time. The tribunal passed the order on the petition filed by the Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity (SPEnBIO). The tribunal fixed the next hearing on October 28, 2016.
The SPEnBIO-submitted petition pertains to the green areas falling under Ghaziabad Development Authority, UP Housing and Development Board (Awas Vikas), UP State Industrial Development Corporation limited (UPSIDCl), Improvement Trust, Ghaziabad, Nagar Palika Parishads and Gram Panchayats. The applicants have also raised the issue of construction of City Club on green belt and allotment of shops on a Green Belt in Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC) and disposal of municipal solid waste, sewage in city forest 'Sai Upvan'.
According to the petition, GDA is constructing a recreation City Club in the Green Belt in Sector-8, Raj Nagar, which is also an extension of the Central Park situated along AlT Centre road (erstwhile Rani Jhansi Marg). “So it is submitted that this act of construction will destroy the large track of green belt shown in the layout plan, further affecting the already polluted area. GDA is also allotting shops in Raj Nagar District Centre (RDC) Green Belt (in front of Hotel Krishna Sagar), besides allowing several other constructions in Green Belts. The entire RDC area, including DM office, has been allowed to come up by GDA on a Green Belt which will allow further pollution of the environment,” the petition adds.
The petition has asked the tribunal to direct the concerned agencies to demolish/remove all unauthorized and illegal structures, both temporary and permanent, situated on green belts. It has also asked the bench to direct the GDA, Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam to stop any kind of disposal of Municipal Solid Waste and discharge of sewage in Sai Upvan and to restore Sai Upwan city forest to its original form by undertaking massive reforestation along with Divisional Forest Officer.