SP govt refused to share info on Gomti project, say experts
The Gomti riverfront channelisation project may have been one of the top priorities of the Samajwadi Party (SP) government but the previous regime in Uttar Pradesh was unwilling to share information related to it in the public domain, a group of scientists, researchers and civil society activists has claimed.
This group, working on environment protection issues, tried to cull details on the project. It is still trying to figure out the reasons behind “denial of information” by the then SP government.
“We had worked on the Gomti river systems for years. The government agencies’ decision to build a riverfront over an already dying river came as a shock to us. Since the project could have a tremendous impact on the future of the river, we were concerned and sought information from the authorities,” said a member of the research group called Ballotboxindia, requesting anonymity.
“But after running from pillar to post looking for information which can make any sense of this disastrous, wasteful, and nonsensical nature of this project, our researcher’s request for information was turned down in October last year. Reason: the information sought was part of the commercial, intellectual property trade secrets (under Section 8(1) (D)) of the Right to Information Act, the UP irrigation department said in its reply,” the member said.
“We have done substantial research on the on-going Gomti riverfront project. We found several discrepancies, loopholes and blunders that can not only destroy the ecology of the river system, but will also put the lives and livelihood of millions in danger,” said the expert.
“It is a sad story of encroachment right on river bed and disdain and disrespect of any transparency law of the land,” said the group member.
Another Lucknow-based expert of the group said the development pointed to a massive wastage of public money.
“The direction in which it is going closes all the paths to river revival, while paving the path for a pattern and precedence, which if it is allowed to continue, will lead to a major water catastrophe very soon,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the Gomti river project site on March 27 and formed a three-member panel under a retired high court judge on April 5 to probe any delay, anomalies, misuse of funds and its possible fallout on environment. The probe panel comprising justice (retired) Alok Kumar Singh, ex-professor UK Chaudhary of Riverine Engineering IIT-BHU and professor AK Garg of finance faculty, IIM Lucknow, has been asked to submit its report within 45-days.