CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought replies from state authorities on a petition alleging continuous encroachment spread over 18 acre on Luna river bed at Badapal under Kendrapara district’s Marshaghai tehsil.
The NGT’s East Zone bench in Kolkata issued notices to chief secretary, additional chief secretary Forest, Environment and Climate Change department, secretary Water Resource department, district magistrate Kendrapara and tehsildar of Marshaghai. The tribunal also issued notices to member secretary, Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB), and member secretary, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).
Alaya Samantaray, a resident of the area, filed the petition seeking intervention against the alleged encroachment in form of site camps and other structures by a Jharkhand-based private construction company engaged for expansion of NH-53 from Chandikhole to Paradip.
When the matter was taken up on November 27, advocate Sankar Prasad Pani along with advocate Ashutosh Padhy representing the petitioner in virtual mode alleged that the encroachments adversely affected the riverine ecosystem and posed threat to the free flow of Luna river.
Taking on record the submissions of the petitioner counsels, the bench of B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) sought replies from the respondents within four weeks and fixed January 27 as next date for further hearing on the matter.
The petition alleged that the company has illegally encroached the floodplain of Luna river and constructed various structures over a sprawling river bed area of over 18 acre without any valid permission from the competent authority of the Water Resources department and tehsildar Marshaghai.
The alleged illegal constructions include labour hutment, material stock yard, camp office and parking of vehicles, machinery, and illegal extraction of sand from the river bed near Badapal.
It was also alleged on the basis of information gathered through RTI application that the construction company has not been issued a consent to establish (CTE) or consent to operate (CTO), the tribunal order also said.