After the Tent City inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year on the banks of Ganga in Varanasi ran into controversy for not having necessary permission from authorities, the Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) has decided not to erect the temporary structures again for the time being, according to a submission to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently.
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In May 2023, a report by a joint committee appointed by the NGT ex facie flagged a “number of violations” committed while setting up the Tent City.
“As regards NMCG [National Mission for Clean Ganga], the proposal for the TCP [Tent City Project] was further considered in a meeting held on 02.01.2024 in the NMCG. The VDA has decided not to raise the tent city for the period 2023-2024 in a post monsoon season,” a report submitted to the NGT read.
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Inaugurating the project on January 13, 2023, the Prime Minister had said, “With the Tent City, tourists and devotees coming to Kashi now have an incredible means of accommodation.”
The Tent City was developed by VDA in public-private partnership mode to tap the potential of tourism in the region. The project with “luxurious accommodation” facilities was developed to cater to the increased tourist footfall in Varanasi, especially after the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham.
The tourists could reach the Tent City by boats from different ghats situated in the vicinity. It was supposed to be operational from October to June every year and dismantled for three months when water level in Ganga rises during the monsoon.
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In a report submitted to the NGT in October 2023, the NMCG noted that “application for the prior-approval for the project development of Tent City has been made after the project has already been implemented in 2022”.
On December 15, 2023, the NGT ordered the member secretary of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to appear before the tribunal and noted, “He will also explain as to why such flagrant violations of the environmental laws on the river bed/bank, where concrete structures have been raised which is totally prohibited, action for prosecution of the violators has not been taken till date.”
In January, meetings were under way as the VDA was trying to get permission from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) for erecting the Tent City this year, but the VDA suddenly informed that they are not doing it for time being, an official source said.
As per the report submitted to the NGT, the NMCG has also directed that if the VDA wants to continue the project in future the operational period for may be kept from November to May instead of October to June. “Activities connected to only spiritual/religious events shall be carried out within the Tent City. All construction material should be completely removed from the bank by June 1 of the year,” the report read.
“However, if the VDA wants to set up the Tent City again after the 2024 monsoons, it will have to seek a fresh approval from the NMCG,” the source said.