CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday issued notices to the Cuttack Development Authority and collector Cuttack on allegations of violation of specific directions of the tribunal regarding the 426 acres of Mahanadi riverbed reclaimed by sand filling within the water area upstream of Jobra barrage here.
The Bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) issued the notices while admitting a fresh petition filed by social activist Pradip Pattanaik on whose petition the NGT had issued the directions on September 21, 2022. The Bench sought replies from the respondents and posted the matter to December 4, 2023, for further consideration. Senior advocate Sisir Das argued on behalf of the petitioner.
In his fresh petition, Pattanaik has sought a recording of the entire 426 acres of reclaimed riverbed as forest land and handover to the Forest department for further maintenance and development. Demolition of all constructions that have come up on the reclaimed land in violation of the tribunal’s directions and penalisation of the offenders has also been sought.
Sources said, that in the 2022 order, a five-member Bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had ordered for development of 284 acres of reclaimed Mahanadi riverbed area “as dense forest”, while allowing the remaining 142 acres to be developed as parks/playgrounds without any permanent or temporary constructions and without any commercial activities.
The NGT had specified that no concretisation of any sort will be allowed in the entire 426 acre of land. While allowing Baliyatra on 34 acres, all due precautions for maintaining sanitation and hygiene shall be observed.
The NGT had issued the directions after Patnaik sought intervention against the dumping of sand that was done over a stretch of five km in length and width of 0.5 km-1.2 km up to a height of six feet as part of CDA’s purported riverfront development plan. The CDA’s project is an attempt to monetise the river bed for commercial purposes which will reduce the water retaining capacity of the river at Jobra barrage at Cuttack, he had alleged.