NGT summons CEOs of Noida, Greater Noida over ‘concretiing’ of roadsides
The Central Pollution Control Board, in April 2024, affirmed that such concreting activity was a “threat” to the environment and said roadsides must be freed from concreting in the cities Noida and Greater Noida
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a show cause notice to the authorities for failing to enter their response in an ongoing case regarding concreting of road berms in Noida and Greater Noida, despite repeated directions from the tribunal, and asked the CEOs of Noida and Greater Noida to appear before it and explain why action should not be initiated against them for non-compliance of earlier orders.
The authorities’ failure to respond has infuriated the tribunal, which had earlier directed them to take steps to prevent the practice of concreting road berms.
A case in this regard was filed before the NGT in May 2022 by environmentalist Vikrant Tongad, who raised concerns over the rampant concreting activities carried out on pavements, which he argued caused environmental issues.
The petitioner alleged that “reckless, excessive and indiscriminate concretisation of roadsides and road berms” was being carried out in violation of NGT orders, government orders and relevant guidelines by Noida authority in Sector 28, 37, 47, 50, 55, and 62 in Noida and by Greater Noida Authority in Sector Omega1, Alpha, P3, of Greater Noida.
In November 2023, the tribunal directed the Union ministry of environment, forest & climate change (MoEF & CC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to file a response with reference to the environmental aspects raised by the petitioner.
The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs and local authorities in February 2024 sought time for filing their responses. The CPCB, in April 2024, affirmed that such concreting activity was a “threat” to the environment and said roadsides must be freed from concreting in the cities Noida and Greater Noida.
While hearing the case on August 7, an NGT bench comprising judicial member justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr Afroz Ahmad said, “On the request of the counsel for Noida and Greater Noida, one month time to file additional replies/responses was granted by the tribunal on April 25, 2024. However, within prescribed time ...no additional response has been filed by either of these two respondents and therefore, they are clearly in defiance of the NGT order and has committed prima-facie an offence under Section 26 of NGT Act, 2010”.
“Let chief executive officer, Noida and Greater Noida both appear before tribunal to show cause as to why for non-compliance of tribunal’s order, appropriate criminal prosecution may not be initiated against them for committing an offence...,” the bench said.
The case will now be heard by the NGT on Friday (August 9).