Has MoEF cleared regulatory regime for camping on Ganga banks: NGT

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal today asked the Environment Ministry to inform it whether the regulatory regime for running of beaches, in the entire belt of Kaudiyala to Rishikesh on the banks of Ganga in Uttarakhand, has been cleared by it.

A tribunal's bench headed by its Chairperson Swatanter Kumar asked the ministry's counsel to take instructions on the issue and also inform it by tomorrow the reason if the regulatory regime has not been cleared.

"Counsel appearing for the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is not present. This is a very important matter and the interveners are pressing for disposal of the matter as their entire business of beach camps has been stayed.

"Counsel appearing on behalf of the ministry should take clear instructions as to whether the regulatory regime for running of these beaches has been cleared by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change or not, if not reasons thereof," the bench said and listed the matter for tomorrow.

During the hearing, the counsel appearing for site operators told the green panel that delay in implementing regulatory regime was adversely affecting their activities.

Regulatory regime means a system of regulations and the means to enforce them, usually established by the government to regulate a specific activity.

The tribunal had earlier directed the Uttarakhand government to submit its final report on implementing regulatory regime for camping activity in the entire belt of Kaudiyala to Rishikesh on the banks of Ganga in the state.

The bench had on December 10 last year banned the camping activity there till the regulatory regime comes into force but had permitted rafting with immediate effect.

The NGT was hearing the plea of NGO Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) against "unregulated" operation of rafting camps in Rishikesh and other areas on the banks of Ganga.

The panel had constituted a committee of officials from various departments of central and the Uttarakhand governments to prepare a regulatory regime on this issue.