Of 77 water bodies in Faridabad, only 25 can be restored: NGT told

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 15

Once there used to be 77 water bodies in Faridabad district of Haryana, but many of them vanished over the years.

Some of them were acquired by the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (earlier known as HUDA) for floating sectors, a few have been converted into burial grounds, at one place there is a public road now, while there are schools, parks, temples, a cowshed and water pumping stations at other sites.

This information has been submitted by the Haryana Government to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in a case for restoration of all Faridabad water bodies. The district falls in the dark zone.

The government through Haryana Pond and Waste Water Management Authority (HPWWMA) told the NGT that only 25 water bodies could be revived while the remaining 52 have already been encroached upon, including 13 which are under litigation and matters are pending in courts.

The NGT was told that at 11 pond sites, the HSVP has either planned or developed Sectors – 58, 59, 61 and 62. There are houses and plots at the sites.

The then Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had allotted three sites to Muslim community for burial in 1995 and it was also ordered that the revenue record of the stated land be executed in favour of ‘Ahle-Islam’.

At another site, owned by Public Works Department, Bridges and Roads, there is a public road, while 5.31 acre land with water body was allotted to Aggarwal Pracharini Sabha in 1991 and Aggarwal College is running from there for the last 20 years.

An ITI college has been running for the last 10 years on a water body site of 5.87 acre.

The NGT Bench headed by Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel had on March 5 sought an action taken report in the matter.

The HPWWMA, set up in 2018 for revival of water bodies across the state, told the NGT that 25 water bodies could be restored by December 31, 2021 after receipt of administrative approvals and funds.