RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Sept.24: The State government will give its reply to National Green Tribunal (NGT) within a week or two in the matter of environment impact assessment, environmental management plan and environmental compensation besides other allied matters.
Director of State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) Amit Kumar informed Lagatar24.com saying the state has already followed the directions of NGT and has also directed the local urban bodies to strictly implement the direction of NGT.
“It is the outcome of our action that a project involving more than 200000 square feet area is not being sanctioned without environmental clearance. Though our action was challenged in the high court, the court justified the order as it was given in accordance with the NGT direction,” SUDA director Kumar said.
Kumar was contacted after the NGT on September 21 observed that the Jharkhand government and the State pollution control board did not file their report on the action taken in terms of directions the tribunal had given on September 9 last though it was expected to be submitted within six months from the date of judgement.
Observing this, the tribunal had threatened the concerned officer of state government and Jharkhand Pollution Control Board of cost for ‘dereliction and disobedience of the directions’ given in the judgement on September 9. Observing this, the NGT had given time of four weeks to file an affidavit.
The NGT hearing a petition of Jamshedpur based environmentalist, R.K.Singh, had directed that the state government through the urban development department shall ensure that environment impact assessment (EIA) is undertaken in respect of all the structures which have been raised in the municipal areas expeditiously in accordance with the procedure laid down in the EIA Notification 2006.
Accordingly, the NGT had directed to prepare an environmental management plan and to implement mitigation measures proposed therein so as to address the environmental issues arising on account of such constructions without environmental clearance (EC).
The NGT has also directed for similar action in respect of the structures falling within notified municipal areas and Gram Panchayat.
Other directions included assessment of environmental compensation in respect of all the structures which have been raised without EC and its recovery within three months from the appropriate authorities, persons, builders, project proponents. Apart from this, the NGT had also directed to stop all ongoing constructions undertaken without obtaining prior EC until the obtaining of environmental clearance.
The NGT had directed the Pollution Control Board to initiate action under section 19 of Environment (Protection) Act 1986.
The NGT has also directed to take action against erring officials and authorities.
“Since the violations were being committed under the gaze of the concerned authorities, we direct initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the concerned officers, the municipal commissioners and the state pollution control board at the earliest,” the NGT had directed.
