The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday observed that the delay in the execution of the Yamuna cleaning project was because of non-cooperation between the various Central and State authorities.
Further, it said that rather than taking punitive action against the authorities for non-compliance of the previous orders, the current orders of the NGT will be oriented towards providing solutions in order to expedite the project.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar said that the authorities had failed to execute most of the directions passed by the Tribunal in 2015.
“Though the project has been started and some work partly executed, there has been undue delay in processing the work of the project in its correct perspective. The reason for the delay is non-cooperation and lack of executive will to complete the project,” observed the Bench.
Holding the local bodies, State government and the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) responsible for not having ‘worked in tandem’, the Bench said, “First, attempts were made to alter the findings and directions in the judgment and then it was the inaction of the stakeholders resulting in inordinate delay.”
Survey work on
Further, the green panel observed that the time limit specified for the completion of the project had “long expired”.
The NGT also noted that construction work of five out of the 14 sewage treatment plants (STP) which were proposed to clean the river, had already been started. “According to counsel of the Delhi Jal Board, at two sites, the survey work has started but actual work is yet to start as paper work for handing of land is not yet complete,” observed the Bench.
The green panel said that in order to put matters “beyond ambiguity”, on Wednesday, it would pass orders with respect to major aspects like finances, sites for the STPs and implementation of Phase II of the project.
While, Phase I of the Yamuna revitalisation project aims to clean the drains at Najafgarh and Delhi Gate, the second phase deals with all other drains reaching the Yamuna.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) submitted that it had demarcated land along the flood plain for the construction of biodiversity parks.
“The counsel for the DDA, in terms of the judgment and its own policy, has prepared comprehensive plans for the development and construction of biodiversity parks on the floodplains in Delhi. The entire work, with respect to Phase I, will be completed by April 2018,” observed the Bench.
