NGT to hear pleas against landfill site at Sonia Vihar, Ghonda Gurjan
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal will examine whether the proposed landfill sites at Sonia Vihar and Ghonda Gujran are located on the floodplains of Yamuna river, the tribunal said on Thursday.
A bench headed by NGT acting chairperson Justice Jawad Rahim directed former AAP MLA Kapil Mishra and others to file a note within a week stating the grounds on which they were opposing the two proposed landfill sites. “We will examine and consider if the two sites fall on the Yamuna floodplains. We will be considering all the issues,” the bench observed, without issuing any notices. The direction came after the NGT was informed by the DDA that a similar case was pending in the Supreme Court. On Tuesday, two separate petitions were filed in the NGT opposing the proposed landfill sites. While one was filed by AAP another was filed by formed AAP MLA Kapil Mishra.
With the Ghazipur landfill site in east Delhi becoming saturated, the EDMC has been looking for alternate sites where a second landfill site could come up.
The EDMC’S counsel informed NGT that the two plots of land where identified after a chamber meeting where officials from the DDA were also present. DDA had earlier told the tribunal that based on the reports of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI), an area of 88 acres at Sonia Vihar and another 42.5 acres at Ghonda Gujran could be handed over to EDMC for handling and processing waste.
On Thursday, however, Ritwick Dutta, counsel representing Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan alleged the EDMC had concealed information that the proposed sites were part of the active floodplain of Yamuna. He also said that both plots come under the O-zone as per Master Plan of Delhi, where no development can take place. The NGT bench questioned the petitioners why they had approached the tribunal now, when the matter has been going on for long. The matter will be heard again on May 21.
AAP DEMANDS L-G’S RESIGNATION
Theaapon Thursdaydemanded the resignation of L- G Anil Baijal, alleging that the DDA had lied in a court on the allotment of two landfill sites in the capital.
Last week, DDA had given in-principal approval for allotment of land for two landfill sites in Sonia Vihar and Ghonda Gujran. AAP leader Dilip Pandey Pandey said Delhi environment minister Imran Hussain, who also heads Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), had said in a letter that the sites were in Yamuna flood plains.