NGT: Inspect sewage plants at Yamuna
a bid to clean waste water reaching the Yamuna, the National Green Tribunal has ordered inspection of sewage treatment plants (STPs) at Delhi Gate drain and Okhla and asked for a report on their functioning.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson justice Swatanter Kumar asked the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi Pollution Control Committee and a nominee from IIT Roorkee to jointly inspect the STPs and submit an analysis of the effluent samples.
Despite decades of planning and investment to clean up the river, the Yamuna, over the years, has become more polluted. The National Green Tribunal (NGT), as part of its January 13 order, had asked the various stakeholders to implement the Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project 2017 to clean up the river. The NGT direction came as the bench was hearing a plea on the monitoring of implementation of this project.
On Monday, the green court was informed that a total of 14 STP projects are to be constructed to clean the waste water reaching the Yamuna, of which seven are to be built by the Delhi Jal Board with its own funds.
“The officers have stated that for all the seven STP projects, the work order has been issued to M/s Larsen and Toubro whose representative is present before the tribunal and confirms the same. The representative of M/s L&T shall submit a complete action plan within two weeks... in relation to these projects and also submit that how early the projects can be completed,” the bench said.
The National Green Tribunal has asked the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) to submit copies of water bills generated by it to Delhi Police to find our their water consumption.
A bench headed by justice Jawad Rahim asked DJB to furnish the details of the charges for water consumption within two weeks.
“The police department shall, within one week after receipt of the bills, file its response if any,” the bench said, while posting the matter for hearing on May 19.
The NGT was hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Sanjay Kumar who had claimed that he has learnt through RTI replies that Delhi Police has not paid its water bills worth ₹232 crore.
The process began last week and findings of the aerial survey would be ‘corroborated’ during the field survey for deciding ownership and boundaries of a land, he added.
Spread over about 4,000 square kilometres, the heavily forested Abujhmad is considered the citadel of Maoist insurgents, who are said to run camps and training facilities in the cover of the inhospitable terrain. Government presence is not visible for miles, and the last sign of state administration ends a mere 15 kilometres from district headquarters of Narayanpur.
This is the region the government wants to penetrate in its efforts to wipe out Maoists after back-to-back attacks on paramilitary personnel. In March, 12 men were killed in an ambush. Last week, a near-identical attack killed 25 Central Reserve Police Force personnel. The government has vowed revenge and last week suspended road construction and transferred all personnel to anti-Maoist operations.
The government knows the security challenges. Hours before the survey began, a prominent local leader helping security forces was found murdered. The exercise has hovered around the fringes of Abujhmad’s formidable forests that contain 200-plus villages.
But with 200 security personnel assisting a dozen revenue officials and more reinforcements planned, the government is determined to push ahead.
“The idea is complete the mapping process in next few years. This is true that the process is dangerous and will take time,” said the magistrate.
However, the congestion remains.
“To decongest the flyover, the decision to construct a parallel flyover was taken in 2014. But due to residents moving court and other hindrances, the construction keep getting delayed. Now, most of the pillars of the new flyover have been erected and we have to launch girder now. For this the traffic between Nelson Mandela T-point and existing RTR flyover need to be blocked. We have had a meeting with the traffic police and after addressing their concerns, the traffic changes will be implemented,” said a PWD official.
Sources said the new traffic plan could start from end of August or first week of September and will continue for six months. There will be traffic marshals to assist commuters. People coming from Nehru Place or Munirka side and going towards the airport will have to take Nelson Mandela Marg and Vasant Kunj Road.
Residents of areas such as Vasant Vihar, West End and Anand Niketan that are next to the flyover will be, however, allowed to use the road below the flyover. For people coming from Shantipath and RTR road who usually take a right turn for the airport, there will only be a minor change. After the traffic light, they will be asked to go till the Army base from the wrong side of the road.