Delhi HC asks NBCC to seek fresh green nod for 6 projects
NEW DELHI: Delhi high court has asked National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to seek fresh environment clearance for six General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colonies in South Delhi.
"We are happy to see such an order. This is a clear setback for the government and victory for the citizens," said petitioner of the case Dr Kaushal Kant Mishra, a senior orthopedic surgeon, who challenged the environment clearance given to the housing projects.
While Environment Clearance report on the six out of seven redevelopment projects should be made, the Narauji Nagar project's status quo should be maintained as per the order. There was a massive uproar in June this year when plans of cutting 14,000 trees for government residences in six colonies surfaced. About 1,500 trees had already been axed before the protests rocked the re-development plans in Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Thyagraj Nagar, Mohammadpur and Kasturba Nagar. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V Kameswar Rao gave the order.
"It is a welcome order and we were fighting for this. The court has made it clear that the environment clearance reports given to these projects were incorrect and the government had not applied its mind while giving such reports," said Gopal Sankaranarayanan, the senior lawyer who fought the case for the petitioner.
He added, "The Delhi High Court ordered that no construction work shall be carried out in Nauroji Nagar residential project in the national Capital. A bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice V. Kameswar Rao rejected a plea of the Central government seeking permission to continue the construction work in the Nauroji Nagar project. The status quo will be maintained."
The environmental clearance report which got the nod from both the Centre and the state government for the seven redevelopment projects in South Delhi has many discrepancies such as mammals like dogs, cows and monkeys were listed under the birds which are popular in these areas.
The Nauroji Nagar redevelopment project's clearance report accessed by the Millennium Post showed that the names of the nearby water bodies were not of Delhi but of Tamil Nadu. Based on these reports, activists challenged the environment clearance in the Delhi High Court and the HC has stalled the project.
