ROURKELA: The Eastern Zone bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pawan Kalyan for restoration of 0.615 acre of the British-era pond ‘Bijli Bandha’, which has been filled up with soil as part of a beautification project.
Disposing of the case on April 8, the two-member bench comprising Judicial Member Justice B Amit Sthalekar and Expert Member Sibal Dasgupta further directed the Collector to determine environment compensation and cost of restoration/restitution of the said land as water body and submit compliance report by August 30.
Last year, the NGT had suo motu taken cognisance of the shrinking of ‘Bijli Bandha’, situated at Sundargarh town, due to a project to convert the pond into a recreational facility. The tribunal had issued notices to the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti, Odisha government, State Pollution Control Board, Sundargarh Collector, Odisha Wetland Authority and State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) as respondents.
On January 10 this year, the Collector had replied that ‘Bijli Bandha’, classified as ‘Kata’ (water reservoir), is spread over 20.99 acre of which only 0.615 acre has been encroached by Sri Aurobindo Integral Education and Research Centre. He further stated that development of the water body involves widening of the pond area of 17.79 acre. Besides, the pond will be deepened from 3.50 metre to 7.50 metre to increase water storage capacity with provision for spillway/gate to release excess water during rainy season.
The NGT wanted to know about the balance area of 2.59 acre and directed the Collector to file his personal affidavit explaining the above facts along with photographic evidence. On February 11, the Collector in a written reply said the 2.59 acre land consists of two existing old roads, newly-constructed water passage, park side pedestal road and eastern side ridge.
After inspection on February 16, the Odisha State Pollution Control Board stated that soil filling was carried out from eastern side of the pond and water quality was within the prescribed standard.However, social activist Himanshu Sekhar Sarangi accused the administration of misleading the NGT by stating that only 0.615 acre of the pond was under illegal occupation of a private school. In reality, the size of the water body and its connecting wetland have shrunk to 5-6 acre from 17.79 acre, he claimed.
During 2016, around 1.5 acre of the pond was filled up with soil and the ongoing development project has further shrunk ‘Bijli Bandha’ from all sides, Sarangi alleged and added, the link with the wetland has also been cut off leading to major environmental concern.