News: No violations committed at Ghamroj bundh finds probe-21-12-2020
A district-level committee, constituted last month by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to probe allegations of unlawful excavation of the Ghamroj bundh, has filed its report before the court stating that no violations were found in the matter. However, the committee has also observed that a portion of the bundh had been damaged and subsequently restored by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
This development follows on the heels of a public interest litigation filed by activist Prem Mohan Gaur, a resident of Hajjipur village on Sohna-Palwal Road, who frequents Ghamroj village and first noticed the bundh being excavated in August, to make space for a rest area that is part of the NHAI’s upcoming toll complex on NH-248A. The bundh is a traditional water harvesting structure that runs for two kilometres along Sohna Road in the revenue estate of Ghamroj village, aiding flood control and groundwater recharge.
Gaur’s petition alleged that excavation of the bundh is in contradiction of Sohna’s Master Plan 2031, which states that the structure must be retained in its current state. Tampering with the structural integrity of the bundh — which arrests water run-off from Aravalli hills that skirt around the village — may also pose a risk of flooding in the region and negatively affect groundwater recharge in the area, environmentalists have warned.
Taking cognisance of these concerns, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on November 9 constituted a district-level committee to look into the matter and submit a report. The committee, consisting of officials from the Haryana State Pollution Control Board(HSPCB), NHAI, department of town and country planning(DTCP), as well as the forest and irrigation departments, conducted a field inspection on December 7. “After joint inspection of the site, it is submitted that the Ghamroj bundh, where it was damaged by the NHAI, has been restored and that there is no violation on Ghamroj bundh as on today,” states the undated report — a copy of which was obtained by Hindustan Times on Monday.
Shakti Singh, regional officer, HSPCB and nodal officer in the matter, said, “As per the NGT’s instructions, we have carried out a site survey and found that a portion of the bundh had indeed been breached. The irrigation department subsequently instructed the NHAI to restore the portion, and this has now been completed. The same has been conveyed to the NGT, who will decide on the further course of action.”
Confirming these details, Vikas Mittal, the NHAI’s technical director overseeing the project, said that the NHAI has halted all work on the bundh land. “At present we are only filling up the portion behind the bundh, which is not a forest area but in fact a privately owned land acquired by us. The structure of the bundh has been restored and no further work will be carried out until the NGT is satisfied with the report.”
