: The National Green Tribunal has cleared the decks for building a bridge and approach roads over the Yamuna for the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, noting the project “will aid environment rather than harming it”.
Granting permission to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction, a Bench headed by Justice U. D. Salvi also took into account the recommendation of the Principal Committee, constituted by the NGT for the Yamuna Revitalisation Project, which said “the project may be allowed” subject to increasing the cost of monitoring during the construction of the bridge by nearly Rs. 2.5 crore.
Safe for environment
The counsel for NHAI assured the Bench that it would appoint IIT- Roorkee or IIT-Delhi for supervising the environmental management plan during the construction stage. “We, therefore, do not see any impediment in granting permission. We permit applicant and their officers, agents and representatives to carry out necessary construction for the expansion of Nizamuddin bridge and Ring Road in terms of the proposed project,” the Bench said.
