Environmental considerations do not seem to be part of the agencies’ development programmes of the city. Despite a rap from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the reckless concretisation of green, soft spaces, the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation seems unfazed.
Virtually obsessive of concretising every inch of the green and open soft spaces along roadsides, the Municipal Corporation is going ahead with massive concretisation work in Raj Nagar, lohia Nagar and other residential areas, said Akash Vashishtha of Hindustan Environment Action Group (HEAG).
The Union Ministry of Urban Development had, on September 23, issued advisories and guidelines for the greening of urban areas and landscaping to all
States and Union Territories, including UP.
The Ministry had asked Chief Secretaries and Principal Secretaries of the concerned departments of all States to avoid excessive tiling of pavements and instructed that tiling be done only on pavements with heavy pedestrian traffic, but the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation is violating NGT guidelines, added Vashishtha.
The Ministry had also asked the planning divisions of all States to encourage growth of grass and to leave space of at least 6x6 feet around each tree, besides avoiding digging of space around trees.
The UP Government, in one of its orders, issued by the Chief Secretary, had also asked all concerned divisions to leave roadsides soiled and soft in order to allow groundwater recharge and allow provision of only brick-on-edge or loose stone pavements through which water can percolate.
According to Akash Vashishtha, the petitioner, a city resident whose petition against indiscriminate concretisation is being heard by the NGT, the Municipal Corporation here is blindly and mindlessly going ahead with concretisation of soft, green open spaces along roads in residential colonies, with utter disregard for court orders. “Mindless concretisation is a permanent ecological hazard and the future generations will have to pay dearly for it. These politicians, Councillors and officials of the Municipal Corporation and State Government are not realising how fatal this act is. There is sheer corruption. The temperatures of the city have increased drastically and its effects on life will be unforeseen,” Vashishtha said.
“I have been writing to them for last five years and am still writing to them but they seem completely oblivious. The protectors have become destroyers,” said Vashishtha, an environment conservationist, adding, “All rules, guidelines and laws seem meant to be flouted by them.”
The petition is scheduled for hearing by NGT on October 25.
“The guidelines of NGT are being corrected where found violated,” said Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner RK Singh.