Greater Noida: Environmental activists and lovers of the outdoors are angry that the Greater Noida authority is continuing to concretize the surroundings of a 25-acre water body in the Bhola Rawal region, and they are calling on the authorities to cease the construction and make the area available.
The action disobeys the government directive and the norms of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), according to environmental experts. The authorities involved are also allegedly “damaging” the water body by concretizing its banks, which is decreasing the area of the pond.
Environment lawyer Akash Vashishtha said that the concretization work surrounding the waterbody was undertaken by the government as part of their cleaning and rehabilitation efforts for the pond.
One of the provisions of a government decree dated March 2018 that is now in effect is that concretization is not allowed on a waterbody’s catchment. He said that even if the work is completed, interlocking tiles are not allowed to prevent obstructions to the water penetration and circulation process.
Because they think the effort is a threat to the environment, several environmental groups are also against it.
“Works to concretize the surrounding of the pond located here in Greater Noida have begun,” a local environment activist said, seeking anonymity. “The water bodies in the area have already been reeling under encroachments.”
Environmental campaigner Abhisht Gupta remarked, “Local vendors or others may also encroach upon this cemented place later to put up their kiosks,” indicating that the practice is reducing the area of the water body.
The work is being done at the request of local people and in response to security concerns, according to a statement released by the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority (GNIDA).
There is an old temple close by, and many locals go there to pay their respects to the temple. There is a risk of falling into the pond due to the lack of a safe perimeter, as locals have demanded because of the large number of visitors to the region, senior manager (projects) Rajesh Kumar stated.
Furthermore, he said, “This is being done for public welfare and is being carried out under the supervision of the senior officials.” Rainfall causes the dirt in the ponds to collapse in, which is why the operation was started.
The Noida Industrial Development Authority and the Greater Noida Industrial Development Authority have been ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to remove concretization that has risen along roadside berms and in their respective jurisdictions within Noida and Greater Noida.
According to HT on Tuesday, the Central Pollution Control Board declared that the action was “posing a threat” to the environment, which led to the ban.
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