Ghaziabad, the Gateway to Uttar Pradesh, is a hub of real estate developers. However, it seems, not only builders, but even the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) is going about concretising the town in contrast to its claim of developing Ghaziabad into a smart and green city.
In a report by the local commissioner appointed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) highlights the dismal state of green belts and their concretisation in Ghaziabad. The GDA and the Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam (GNN) did not even care to respond to the written communications of the commissioner seeking assistance.
The commissioner and environmental activist Akash Vashishtha visited the main roads, arterial roads, various parks in sector 2, 6, 8, 9, 14 and 15, highways in Ghaziabad, and residences of prominent officials. Mr. Vashishtha had moved the NGT seeking directions for de-concretisation of areas marked as green belts.
The report says none of the places visited had perforated tiles/ blocks or porous pavements. All the roadsides and berms were concretised with interlocking tiles and had piles of garbage and waste dumped.
There were no traces of soil or space for rainwater to percolate. At many places, stormwater drains were covered and encroached upon, and the municipal solid waste was found strewn all over the road and its sides. This is when the GDA has been claiming before the NGT that it has developed all green belts and the Nagar Nigam is maintaining them.
The NGT had on February 20 clearly observed in its order that tiling/concretisation of pavements should not exceed more than five per cent and the footpath and tracks constructed only with permeable and semi-permeable and perforated blocks. In September, the NGT appointed a commissioner to find out the ground reality.
Nagar Nigam blames GDAThe Nagar Nigam’s executive committee vice-president Rajendra Tyagi said the GDA never develops a green belt the way it should be. Green belts given to the Nagar Nigam for maintenance are so poor. “We are keeping a watch on the parks and green area, but the GDA hands over green belts by simply growing patches of grass. That is not a green belt. The GDA does not even care to remove encroachments.”
Repeated attempts to contact the GDA vice-chairman for comments proved futile.
Meanwhile, the commissioner’s report shows concretisation of the Kavi Nagar-Raj Nagar crossing green belt. Near the Hapur-Chungi intersection, a green belt was devoid of any vegetation.
The area around the residence of a GDA’s senior official at Raj Nagar had concretisation and tiling with no provision for rainwater to percolate. The state around the house of a former Mayor at Nehru Nagar was no different. The entire area was dug up and tiling was to be done.
At Nehru Nagar and Gandhi Nagar, green belts were nothing more than dumping grounds for waste, including plastic bags and sewage. At many places at Nehru Nagar, the trees were chocked by concrete.' At Shastri Nagar, waste and garbage was strewn around and stray cattle rummaging though it depicted a green belt. The Shastri Nagar- Kavi Nagar green belt is also a stretch of concrete.
Published - November 19, 2014 07:40 am IST
