National Green Tribunal issues notice to govt agencies for Kaliasot encroachment

BHOPAL: National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices to state government, MP State Disaster Management Authority, water resource department, town and country planning, MP state environment impact assessment authority (SEIAA), Kolar Municipal Council and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) over encroachment of riverbed and green belt of Kaliasot river.

The central zone bench of NGT comprising Justice Dalip Singh and expert member PS Rao has admitted the petition and has also given directions to T&CP to submit status report of the site on May 27, the date of next hearing. “T&CP will submit a report after carrying out the inspection of the premises of the builders/developers as to whether they have observed the 30/33 metres distance, green belt and no construction zone from the edge of the river.”

Applicant Subhash C Pandey, in his petition, has stated that, “None of colonizers and builders has spared any green belt in 33 meter area of the river Kaliasot.”

Pandey has alleged all government agencies like T&CP, Municipal Council, Kolar, SEIAA, MPPCB have failed to ensure that builders and developers observed observing terms and conditions of environmental clearance (EC).

They have failed to carry out their statutory duties and enforcing EC conditions and rules with regard to maintaining 30 metres distance from the bank of the water body as being no-construction zone and maintaining green belt beyond the said area.

The length of the river is about 36 km and it starts from Kaliasot dam spill out and flows into Betwa river near Bhojpur temple in Raisen.