Encroachments on green belts: Rs.1L penalty imposed on MC chief for obstructing NGT proceedings

Ludhiana, August 1
During the hearing held in the matter pertaining to encroachments on green belts on Lodhi Club Road and Old GT Road (from Jagraon Bridge to Sherpur Chowk), the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh for delaying the submission of Development Plan (Master Plan) by the Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana, thus, creating obstruction in the functioning of the tribunal and bodies constituted by it, which has cost a huge delay in the proceedings.
The NGT after rejecting the report of the previous joint committee on August 7, 2023, had constituted a new committee consisting of members from the Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board and Punjab Pollution Control Board outside Punjab to submit the report on issue of encroachments over green belts by Lodhi Club and Sacred Heart Senior Secondary School, BRS Nagar, on Lodhi Club Road and by the MC by constructing a library and parking areas on green belts on old GT Road.
The committee had sent a letter to the MC to provide the development plan but the latter failed to provide the same. Accordingly, the joint committee submitted a partial report on January 9, 2024, by mentioning the same. On July 18, taking cognisance, the Bench directed the MC Commissioner to appear before it on July 31. After receiving the map on July 24, the joint committee filed a reply with the request of further time of three months to submit the final report.
The case was filed by the Council of Engineers through its president Er Kapil Arora in October 2022.
Arora said the Municipal Commissioner appeared before the NGT and submitted that the Development Plan was provided to the joint committee on April 30, 2024. However, the MC chief failed to give a satisfactory reply in delay of providing the plan by over five months.
“The Bench found the conduct on the part of the MC Commissioner as highly objectionable and deprecated the same in strongest words and also imposed a cost of Rs 1,00,000 on him for creating obstruction in the functioning of the tribunal and bodies constituted by it, which has cost a huge delay in proceedings and the same was directed to be deposited with the Registrar General within next 15 days,” he said.
The Bench further observed that despite receiving the development plan on April 30, 2024, the joint committee too is guilty of delaying proceedings and its demand of further three months’ time for submitting the report was unreasonable and inclined to impose cost upon the joint committee also but taking a lenient view in the matter, the Bench directed the joint committee to submit report positively within one month, failing which the tribunal will be compelled to take stringent action against members of the committee. The next date of hearing is on September 2. — TNS

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