The bench of Justice Sudhir Agarwal of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) expressed surprise that despite being given more than three month, the authorities were unable to file their response on steps taken to protect the Ridge of Delhi.
NGT had issued an executive order on January 15, 2021 to protect the “by taking necessary steps to finalise the notification under Section 20 of the Forest Act for reserved forest and protection by appropriate measures”.
As a final chance, the court on January 17, 2025, allowed an additional three weeks to submit a response, provided that each of the five respondents pays a cost of Rs 5,000, which must be deposited with the Registrar General of the tribunal by the next date, February 13, 2025.
In 2021, the court had ordered that land that is clearly defined be included in the notification and the remaining procedures be carried out separately but swiftly. It also stated that no non-forest activities are allowed in the Ridge area.
The applicant mentioned that the order of the tribunal has not been complied with seriously and effectively. New constructions are coming up in the Ridge with facilities like electricity and water connection, showing further violations instead of compliance of the order of the tribunal.
The execution application was last taken up on September 24, 2024 and notices were issued to the authorities requiring them to file their response. However, even after three months, none of the respondents have submitted a reply. Only one response was received from the deputy commissioner of police, South district, Hauz Khas.
NGT directed January 17, 2025 the district magistrate / collector of Agra, Uttar Pradesh to take appropriate action within a month to remove encroachment over a pond in Angoothi village of Sadar tehsil. A report on compliance must be submitted to the registrar general of NGT.
The district magistrate should ensure the size and nature of the pond are maintained as it is, the order added.
The court said that in a revenue village, land recorded as ‘pond’ is liable to be maintained as it is and it is the responsibility of revenue authorities — collector of the area — to take appropriate action for maintaining the pond.
The application was filed by Bhoori Singh, a resident of Angoothi, complaining about the encroachment on pond. Despite complaints made to revenue authorities, no action has been taken by the concerned authorities for removing encroachments and restoring the pond to its original status. Letter was also sent to Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board on the matter, the applicant alleged.
Steps will be taken to ensure proper waste management at dhalao (dump) near All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, stated a report submitted by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to the NGT January 16, 2025.
The dhalao near Ring Road in South Extension Part I has existed for more than 30 years and is used to collect municipal solid waste / street sweeping waste from nearby congested areas with residential and commercial establishments.
The dhalao is on the opposite side of Gate 6 of AIIMS, about 180 metres away. It collects 12-14 MT of municipal solid waste every day. The collected waste is removed by a vehicle that does 2-3 trips per day as per requirement.
The nearest fixed compactor transfer station (FCTS) from this dhalao is about 1.5 km away. Garbage dumped in the dhalao cannot be diverted to the nearest FCTS because there is heavy traffic on this route and the shifting would cause congestion. Further, the FCTS in question already receives a huge load of garbage.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee inspected the dhalao on October 8, 2024 and pointed out various deficiencies.
The committee also outlined remedial measures for MCD to follow. These included a proper entry gate at the dhalao to avoid unauthorised entry, roof to prevent rainwater seeping in and composting wet waste instead of dumping them at these collection sites, mong others.
The applicant had alleged the dhalao in close proximity to the hospital is a major source of air pollution and sought its removal.