Surya Enclave residents approach NGT, minister

Ajay Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, February 21

Intensifying their protest against the Jalandhar Improvement Trust (JIT) move to auction public parks in a bid to get rid of its debts, members of Surya Enclave Welfare Society today knocked the door of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and Central Environment Protection Minister Harshwardhan. The members of the society have registered their complaint against JIT under Sections 14,15 and 16 of the NGT Act, 2010, that further directs the Central Pollution Control Board and the state Pollution Control Board and local bodies to implement the provisions of the NGT Environment Protection Act, 1986.

The members have been fighting against the JIT’s auction plan for the past two years and earlier also, on February 7, after a protest march was launched by the residents of Surya Enclave, JIT officials postponed the auctioning of the parks located at the main entrance of the Surya Enclave. Therefore, taking cognisance of their complaint, the spokesperson for the society, Rajeev Dhamija, said Dr Harshwardhan had written a letter to the state government to refrain from the sale of green belts in the Surya Enclave and to protect the land for the green cover only.

Dhamija said they had conveyed to the minister that the JIT had given an advertisement twice of the two parks (5649.43 sp yards and 2,858 sq yard for auction. The JIT, which was under a huge debt, had decided to auction the public parks to come out of the financial mess that it had been undergoing.

Society leaders said the JIT had also illegally utilised the green belt of the Surya Enclave for making a police station. Hence, they want the JIT to give them a land of similar area from its reserved land.

Roshan Lal Sharma, who is known as the ‘green man’ in the colony, said to protect the green cover in the colony, a plantation campaign would be started.

He said the Surya enclave was located near the LPG bottling plant of Indian Oil, railway station and the national highway. Therefore, to curb the effect of pollution in the residential colony, it is important to have a green cover. However, the Trust had been continuously practicing to sale the green belt area for commercial purposes. President of the society said parks were being utilised by children as playgrounds and elderly go for walks there. Hence, the Trust should look for other options to make money, rather than harassing the residents.