The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the Uttar Pradesh Government to add more pillars to the mud-filled approach road in the river bed while constructing the third bridge over Hindon. This will elevate a stretch and help not obstruct flow of the river.
NGT chairman Justice Swatantra Kumar pronounced his judgement on a writ petition filed by environmentalist Vikrant Sharma, after the construction agency refused to accept environmentalists’ demand to stop construction of the third bridge.
According to the order, when the tribunal asked the technical expert present on behalf of the respondent, he clearly admitted that the approach road to the bridge is being constructed in the highest flood level zone.
Thus, it is bound to obstruct natural flow of the river, the only solution to which is making extra additional pillars on either side.
The NGT order noted, “The number of such pillars to be constructed, we leave to the engineer constructing the bridge, but such consideration should ensure that the approach road does not fall within the flood plain of the river.”
Environmentalists feel the bridge will pose a serious ecological threat to biodiversity since the river bed would be filled up to an extent. Additionally, diversion of the water stream would endanger the strategically located Hindon Air Force Station.
“After personally visiting the location, it was observed that pushing the flow of the river towards the west by filling of the river water areas by artificial embankment would adversely affect normal flow of the river on the one hand. It would also shrink natural spread of the river water regime, causing floods and endangering and destroying ecological system and biodiversity,” said Dr BB Singh, leading geographer and former principal of MMG Post Graduate College, Ghaziabad.