CUTTACK: The Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has submitted before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that it is incapable to deal with the encroachment over Nayapalli Haza, an important water body in the capital and natural drain No 10 connected to it.The NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata was hearing the petition filed by RTI activist Srikant Kumar Pakala and Natabara Samantaray, a resident of Nayapalli.
The petition had raised the issue of encroachment of the water body and the natural drain No 10 connected to it. The unchecked encroachments had also reduced the natural drain’s original width of 12 metre.In an affidavit, BMC commissioner Vijay Amrut Kulange said, “Since the encroachment over Nayapalli Haza water body and natural drain No 10 connected to it are much in number and BMC has no such logistics to make them encroachment free, it has requested Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) to conduct eviction.”
The petition had alleged that the lake has been losing its original features due to unchecked dumping of municipal solid waste and building debris resulting in siltation. Unchecked degradation due to change in land use and inaction of the municipal authorities is pushing the water body to the brink of extinction, advocate Sankar Prasad Pani argued on behalf of the petitioners.
The bench of B. Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and A Senthil Ven (Expert Member) directed Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) to undertake laboratory testing of water samples collected from the Nayapalli Haza and submit a report on the water quality.
The Nayapalli Haza had for years been serving the city dwellers for domestic purposes. The water body also served as ground water recharge and water reservoir for round the year.The bench fixed January 9 for further consideration on the matter, while allowing the state government time to submit an action plan for protection, preservation of the ponds/water bodies in the BMC area.