Construction of drain: NGT may summon Delhi Finance Secy
NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday warned of summoning the Delhi Finance secretary if the AAP government fails to give authorisation to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) for spending money to construct a drain here before October 8.
A bench of Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore and expert member S S Garbyal said that if authorisation for spending the remaining amount is not given in writing to the EDMC, the Finance secretary of the Delhi government shall remain present before it.
The green panel took exception that despite its specific order to give authorisation to the EDMC, the matter was being delayed by shuttling it from one department to other.
"No doubt the manner in which this case is being taken up, on behalf of Government of NCT Delhi, is quite interesting. We are all witnesses to how one department shifts the responsibility to the other. As said, we had intimidated the chief secretary, Government of NCT Delhi via our last order but even then there is no development in regard to whether authoritsation for unspent amount is to be granted to the EDMC.''
"Therefore, the Tribunal has no option but to call the secretary Finance to present in person before it, in case the appropriate authorisation is not handed to the EDMC before the next date," the bench said.
It directed that a copy of this order be sent to the Lieutenant Governor and the Delhi chief secretary through e-mail immediately. The matter is listed for next hearing on October 8.
The order came on the plea filed by environment activist Vikrant Tongad seeking immediate removal of municipal waste and plastic bags from the canal in Dallupura in East Delhi.
"The instant application highlights the sad plight of the drains/nallas on water drains which are completely choked with municipal waste and plastics which have been dumped indiscriminately in the drains clogging them and virtually turning them into mass dump yards.
"This is not only violative of the environmental laws, including the Environment Protection Act, 1986 and the rules made under the Municipal Solid Waste Rules, Plastic Waste Management Rules, but is also a great hazard to public health causing innumerable diseases among other hazards," the plea, filed through advocate Upma Bhattacharjee, said.
