CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has refused to pass an order for maintaining status quo on Birupa river bank close to Jagatpur Water Sports Complex where alleged illegal constructions had come up as part of the Cuttack Municipal Corporation’s slum dwellers relocation project.
The rowing course there is set to be the venue for the Asian Senior Rowing Championship in 2021. The NGT, however, has constituted a joint committee to ascertain the veracity of the allegations raised in a petition filed by Orissa Association for Rowing and Sculling (OARS).
In his petition, OARS president Binod Dash said the CMC had undertaken reclamation work on the river bed, construction of toilet blocks with leach pits and production well for water supply as part of the project for relocation of slum dwellers from near the SCB campus.
The project violated the environmental protection norms at the cost of causing harm to ecology of the river and encroached upon the infrastructure, equipment, coaching facilities and competition exposure for rowing and sculling, Dash said.
The NGT’s Principal Bench, New Delhi took up the petition through video conferencing on Tuesday. While issuing notices returnable within 30 days to the authorities concerned, the NGT bench of Justice SP Wangdi (Judicial Member) and Dr Satyawan Singh Garbyal (Expert Member) said, “Let the CMC, Cuttack Collector and the State Pollution Control Board verify and file a report on the factual and action taken before the next date.” “Prayer seeking status quo is rejected and shall be considered only after the report is filed by the committee and affidavit submitted by the respondents,” the Bench said and fixed July 30 for further hearing.