NGT wants report on banquet hall on Aravalli hills in F’bd
AN RTI ACTIVIST IN A PETITION CLAIMED THE CONSTRUCTION WAS HAPPENING IN THE REVENUE ESTATE OF ANKHIR VILLAGE WITHOUT PERMISSION
FARIDABAD : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a report from the authorities on the ongoing construction of a banquet hall cum motel in the Aravalli area on Surajkund Road.
The report has to be filed on April 12, when the case comes up for hearing .
An RTI activist Varun Sheokand, in a petition before the NGT, claimed the construction was happening on a piece of land in the revenue estate of Ankhir village in Faridabad without permission.
The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad has deputed a senior officer at the construction site even as owner of the underconstruction motel cum banquet hall claims to have permission from all the relevant authorities.
Sheokand claimed the construction activity has led to illegal underground mining and destruction of the ecology, forest and environment in contravention of the section 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation (PLP) Act 1900.
The RTI activist said no attempt was made by the authorities to stop this ‘illegal’ construction.
The owner refuted the claims. “We have all permissions required for undertaking con- struction of a banquet hall cum motel,” Bunti Bhatia, one of the directors of Delite hotels told HT. “We even have map approved by the MCF’.
When told about the owner’s claim, Mohd Shayen, commissioner of MCF, said ,“There are conditions attached to it which he must not have adhered to.” “We have deputed a joint commissioner rank officer to look into it,”he said.
Bhatia said that the matter came up before the NGT on April 3 and the judges sought a report from the respondents by April 12 when the case comes up for hearing again.
The respondents include the MCF, forest department, pollution control board, etc.
Last month, the municipal corporation had issued show cause notices to a few other banquet hall owners. Deputy mayor of Faridabad Manmohan Garg alleged that some officials were hell-bent to regularise the ”illegally constructed” wedding halls in the Aravalli hills.