The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday constituted a fresh committee to assess whether sub-regional plans for the protection of Natural Conservation Zones (NCZs) were consistent with the regional plan prepared by the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB).
A Bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said that the new panel will comprise representatives from the Ministry of Environment (MoEF), National Remote Sensing Centre, Forest Survey of India, and the Revenue Secretaries and Principal Chief Conservator of Forest of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“We direct that no land marked to be part of an NCZ by the NCRPB may be diverted for any other purpose without permission of the NCRPB till March 2020. The nodal agency will be the MoEF. Report may be furnished within three months,” the Bench said.
Earlier, the green panel had come down heavily on the MoEF over delay in informing whether the sub-regional plans are consistent with the regional plan prepared by the NCRPB.
In August 2018, the Tribunal noted that some States had not completed the delineation of NCZs, and had directed preparation of relevant plans. It had also constituted a joint committee to consider the issue.
