NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has directed the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation to look into a complaint on illegal constructions, concretization and encroachment in the parks, green belts, playgrounds, open areas and city forests in Ghaziabad.
Taking serious note of the issue, the tribunal headed by Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and also comprising Expert Member Dr. A. Senthil Vel urged the Commissioner to duly consider the grievance and ascertain the correct position and take appropriate remedial action in accordance with the law expeditiously.
Advocate Akash Vashishtha, appearing for Petitioners Rajendra Tyagi and Himanshu Mittal, submitted that in four parks, the concretization by Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has been done much in excess of the permitted 5% area.
In the plea, the petitioner also complained about cementing the surface of parks in the name of setting up Open Gyms.
Referring to a state government order, the plea pointed out that permanent concrete constructions (including pavements) must not be carried out in an area more than 5% of the total park’s area, to ensure ground water recharge.
The counsel said, already a representation dated July 1, last year has been made to the commissioner but no action has been taken.
Ghaziabad is one of the 131 Non-Attainment Cities identified under the National Clean Air Program (NCAP) whose AQI remains among the highest in the country as also in the world, the plea contended.
Because of the inaction of the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA), the green cover proposed in the Master Plan of Ghaziabad is reducing day by day. Most of the green belts under the Master Plan 2021 of GDA are lying encroached, with illegal constructions scattered across such green belts and solid and other wastes disposed of thereon, it was alleged in the complaint.
The petitioners said that GDA is fast going ahead with the construction of concrete pathways and raised platforms at Central Park in Raj Nagar, the highest-visited park in the city, after replacing the soft, vegetated surfaces with concretized structures, altering its original character and form and reducing the ecological functions of the park, including groundwater recharge and providing fresh, clean air, to a barren, concretised space.
