NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has deemed the tent cities established on the Ganga riverbed in Varanasi illegal and has imposed a fine of Rs 17.12 lakh on the violators.
The tribunal stated that these tent cities were set up and operated in violation of environmental laws and regulations concerning the River Ganga. In its ruling, the Green Court noted that the tent cities, named Praveg Tent and Niraan Tent City, were established and operated against environmental norms and the provisions stipulated in the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection, and Management) Authority's order of 2016.
Consequently, environmental compensation has been levied but remains uncollected. The court directed that the compensation be recovered from the violators and mandated that no tent cities are permitted to be established on the banks of the River Ganga or its tributaries.
After the state government issued a tender for the establishment of tent cities on the riverbed, these two entities set up their tent cities in early 2023.
Following this, a petitioner approached the court, arguing that these cities were polluting the riverbed and river water and causing harm to local flora and fauna. There were further allegations that sewage from the tent cities was being discharged directly into the River Ganga.
Additionally, it was claimed that these tent cities were set up in the location of the Kachhua Wildlife Sanctuary, which was illegally de-notified in March 2020. However, the NGT did not address the matter of the de-notification of the Turtle Sanctuary, as that issue is still pending before the Supreme Court.
Following the petition, the NGT constituted a seven-member Joint Committee on March 17, 2023, to gather a factual report regarding the allegations of violations. The committee included representatives from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttar Pradesh, the Irrigation and Water Resources Department of Uttar Pradesh, the State Pollution Control Board, and the District Magistrate of Varanasi.
The committee submitted its report on May 24, 2023, concluding that the tent cities were being operated without proper consent from the State Pollution Control Board, in violation of the Water and Air Acts. It also found that the tent city was occupying 11 hectares of riverbed at Assi Ghat, despite being allocated 20 hectares.
Meanwhile, Niraan Tent City was developed on 2.5 hectares instead of the allocated 11 hectares. Additionally, there were reports of permanent construction of red brick chambers at the riverbed site.
In January 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the luxurious tent city on the flood plains of the Ganga terming it an attractive destination for domestic and international tourists and devotees to the oldest city.