Ludhiana: Its chainsaw ready to strike at the roots of inaction, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has summoned this city’s municipal commissioner to appear in person and explain why he should not face prosecution for failing to implement its orders to restore greenbelts in Sarabha Nagar and Model Town Extension.The directive, issued in response to a contempt petition by members of the Public Action Committee (PAC), warned that the commissioner could face proceedings under Section 26 of the NGT Act, 2010, and even be arrested and detained in a civil prison. The tribunal also questioned whether environmental compensation should be imposed on the commissioner or the municipal corporation for allowing continued encroachment and failing to take prompt remedial action.The original petition, filed by activist Kapil Arora, sought action against illegal constructions and encroachments on greenbelts in Sarabha Nagar and Model Town Extension. These included a scrap yard and the construction of an extension office of the municipal corporation on protected green space. The tribunal had issued orders on July 4, 2024, directing full restoration of the affected areas and submission of a compliance report.However, despite multiple deadlines, the civic body’s actions have remained partial. A compliance report submitted on July 7 admitted that while a temporary shed used by the junior engineer’s office at Sarabha Nagar was demolished in Sept 2024, the remaining rooms were repurposed to store horticulture equipment. Plans to auction scrap from the site were outlined in June but not executed.In Model Town Extension, four shop owners who had opened doors onto the greenbelt were ordered to seal those in Feb. However, a re-inspection found that two seals had been broken. While the openings were resealed and a letter sent to the commissioner of police for seeking action against the violators, the tribunal noted that no significant action had followed.The NGT observed that the civic body had retained parts of the structures in violation of tribunal orders and failed to seek permission for any modifications. It also flagged delays in removing the statue of Lord Shiva from the greenbelt and in the auctioning of scrap. Stating that its directives had not been implemented fully, the green tribunal demanded a fresh action-taken report within 15 days and ordered the municipal commissioner to appear personally on Aug 11 to explain the continuing non-compliance.MSID:: 122858704 413 |
