BERHAMPUR: The order of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to demolish the gram panchayat (GP) office and market building in Lochapada under Kukudahandi tehsil has put the Ganjam administration in a tight spot.
On October 25, the Tribunal, after hearing a petition filed by social worker Natabar Sahu, had directed Ganjam Collector to demolish the GP office and market building as the portion of land on which the structures were constructed has been classified as ‘Jalasaya’ and ‘Aadi’. A bench of Judicial Member B Amit Sthalekar and Expert Member Saibal Dasgupta had directed the Collector to demolish the buildings by November 30, take steps for restoration of the water body and file an affidavit citing compliance by December 12.
The NGT Bench referred to a Supreme Court judgment in Hinch Lal Tiwari case where it had stated that encroachment of water bodies is not permissible. All such encroachments and constructions must be removed while the water bodies restored to their original character.
The Tribunal rejected the submission of the counsel appearing for the Collector that the building was constructed for the benefit of nearly 15,000 villagers of Lochapada panchayat. “Construction of gram panchayat building complex on ‘Jalasaya’ land has the effect of destroying the water body or even a part thereof can hardly be said to be in the larger interest of the villagers accessing the said water body,” stated the NGT order.
Following the NGT order, the Ganjam Collector on December 9 filed a petition seeking review of the judgment and sought more time to comply with it. Meanwhile, villagers of Lochapada have alleged that besides the GP office and market building, some private constructions have also come up on the pond embankment in violation of the norms. They demanded a probe into the matter and sought to know who gave the permission for constructing the panchayat building on the embankment.
