The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to take necessary steps to decide, within a month, on the environmental clearance (EC) to be issued for the construction of a six lane elevated road connecting Ghaziabad to NH-24.
Detailed judgment
A Bench headed by NGT acting chairperson U.D. Salvi said, “We direct the MoEF to convene a meeting and take appropriate decisions in accordance with law in relation to the application to grant EC within a month. It may be noted that the failure to take such decisions will meet with coercive orders.”
The green panel, in 2016, had passed a detailed judgment where it directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority to apply for obtaining the environmental clearance within three months of the date of pronouncement of the judgment.
“The project proponent should apply for obtaining environmental clearance within three months. The concerned regulatory authority shall consider the application for grant of environmental clearance and dispose of the same as expeditiously as possible, in any case not later than six months from the date of filing the application,” read the judgment.
Petitioner Sushil Raghav had approached the Tribunal seeking an execution of this order. In his original petition, Mr. Raghav had alleged that part of the land where the construction was being carried out was recorded as a pond and bird sanctuary.
