The court maintained that paving can only be done within permissible limits and directed the concerned authorities to strictly comply with the policy allowing the petitioner to report if violations take place. The order comes in response to a plea filed three years ago seeking a stop to over-concretisation of roads, parks etc in the district.
“The matter was listed in NGT almost three years ago and now the use of interlocking tiles has been prohibited. The district magistrate-headed committee earlier this week submitted its policy before the NGT in which they have not only prohibited tiles along roads and in parks but have also defined the limit upto which it can be used.
Interlocking tiles can only be used on footpaths and that too on granular sub-base, which is a porous material,” explained petitioner Akash Vashishtha. The petitioner added that the Green Tribunal has asked to look after implementation of the order and inform if not implemented accordingly.
“Soiled ground surfaces absorb most of the solar radiation and the UV-B rays acts as a major carbon sink. By concretising, the atmospheric carbon levels increase and thus there is a rise in warming. It takes several hundred years to form a centimetre of soil.
Soil is a major storehouse of biodiversity, containing a diversity of species of both micro and macro organisms, which play an extremely important role in nutrient cycles, soil fertility and other ecological functions. Concretisation kills all these soil organisms and thus upsets the ecology,” said Vashishtha.
The policy, framed by the district authorities, has recommended a prohibition of cement concrete, interlocking tiles and blacktop roads while undertaking development works on water bodies.
The guidelines have also identified the type of materials to be used while undertaking infrastructural works related to water bodies, ponds, lakes, permanent construction in parks and on roadsides.
For footpaths, only stabilised soil, coarse sand and granular sub-base have been allowed to be used.
Also, the total area for the boundary wall, footpath, fountains and works of public utilities should not exceed more than 5 per cent of the total area of the park, the guidelines said. For roadsides, only perforated blocks, fly ash and straight burnt bricks should be used for a specific width, the guidelines stated. It also recommended that footpaths can only be of a maximum 1.5 metre while the rest of the area should be left vacant for drains, sewage and other infrastructural works.