- विज्ञापन -
Ludhiana: Highlighting the encroachments done on public land by illegally constructed restaurants, tavern and several other establishments, the members of Public Action Committee filed a complaint to Punjab Pollution Control Board on Saturday.
The complaint has been filed following the orders of National Green Tribunal (NGT).
The PAC had earlier filed a direct petition in the NGT against the illegally constructed establishments which have not only encroached the public land along a distributary but these establishments are also polluting the environment. After the petition filed by PAC members Kapil Arora, Jaskirat Singh and others, the NGT had asked them to file a complaint to PPCB and directed PPCB to examine the truthfulness of the allegation and take remedial action within three months from the date of receipt of the complaint.
When visited the site along with PAC member Kapil Arora, a number of encroachments were found in the form of party hall, bars, shed, septic tanks, generators, submersible pumps etc.
According to Kapil, there number of restaurants, restaurants cum banquet halls, tavern constructed on South City Canal Road illegally in active connivance with irrigation department, National Highway Authority of India and GLADA.
He said that the establishments are openly violating the norms and polluting the environment by dumping waste in the distributary/sua which is passing behind these establishments.
Kapil said that besides, these establishments have left no space for parking vehicles and the vehicles are parked on the main road which affects the traffic movement.
During visit to the site, the Savera team along with Kapil found a motor installed by an establishment along with the distributary to pump out the water, which is illegal. There were several other violations which required investigation.
The PAC members in the complaint added that, almost 1200 well grown trees were axed by Forest Department for development of this National Highway but no land along this highway was acquired by NHAI for plantation which was mandatory to be acquired as per Indian road congress code and Green highway Policy of 2015, thus resulted into major Air & Noise Pollution.
The complainants added further that the land of 30 meters along this National Highway is No Construction Zone but GLADA as well as NHAI deliberately allowed construction of such commercial buildings with 100% coverage leaving no space for parking within the premises whereas plantation was mandatory to be done within this 30 meters from edge of road.
