New Delhi: State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has recommended environmental clearance for the proposed expansion of Akshardham Cultural Complex with a few riders.The proposal, submitted by Bochasanwasi Shri Aksharpurushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, seeks the expansion at Pramukh Swami Maharaj Marg, Akshardham Setu, in east Delhi.According to the conditions set by SEIAA, the total built-up area after the expansion cannot exceed 1.02 lakh sqm. The proposal involves demolition of 2,954.2 sqm of the existing Sabha Mandap and fresh construction of up to 24,500 sqm, resulting in a net addition of 21,545.7 sqm over the existing built-up area of 80,907.5 sqm. The redeveloped Sabha Mandap will have to be restricted to ground plus three floors and a mezzanine, with its height capped at 29.6 metres. The overall complex cannot exceed the previously approved height of 37.3 metres.SEIAA said all 9,728 existing trees would be fully retained with no felling or transplantation, and 50 saplings of native species would be planted. “Survival status, plantation locations and geo-tagged photographs should be reported in each six-monthly compliance report,” it stated.The Akshardham temple, constructed in the early 2000s, had received objections from people claiming that the site was located on the Yamuna floodplain. However, Supreme Court in 2005 said the temple was not on the floodplain. In a subsequent 2019 case concerning an extended structure at Akshardham, National Green Tribunal also held that the expanded structure did not form part of the floodplain.Bhim Singh Rawat, a Yamuna activist and associate coordinator of South Asia Network on Dams Rivers and People, however, said the approval raised serious environmental and planning concerns. “A key unresolved issue is whether the site falls within the Yamuna floodplain or zone ‘O’, for which SEIAA itself had sought documentary evidence. The site has a high groundwater table of just 4.05m below ground level, while the expansion will add 21,545.7 sqm (5.3 acres) to the existing built-up area,” said Rawat. “Given the poor record of environmental compliance and monitoring, ensuring credible implementation of the clearance conditions is a major concern.”The proposal is also contrary to the broader planning vision of MPD 2047, which envisages a green corridor along the floodplain rather than further concretisation, Rawat pointed out. An independent assessment by hydrologists and geomorphologists should, therefore, have preceded further construction, he added.Manu Bhatnagar, principal director at Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage, observed, “If the proposed expansion is coming up within the existing premises… not much can be done. However, if the expansion extends beyond the existing premises, it would constitute a fresh incursion into zone O and should be avoided.”
