NGT slams DDA for not halting encroachments on floodplains

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) reprimanded the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for failing to comply with its 2019 order to remove encroachments from the Yamuna floodplains, adding that similar directives to the land agency from the Delhi high court and the Supreme Court have also fallen on deaf ears.

A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava referred to its latest directions from October 15, 2024, seeking details from DDA on the total number of encroachments on the floodplains in the river’s 22km stretch in Delhi, particularly in Majnu ka Tilla.

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The tribunal had sought this information in the October order, but the report was only submitted on the morning of the hearing, violating court-mandated deadlines.

“The learned counsel for the DDA submits that a copy of the report has been given just now… The tribunal requires the parties to file a reply or report by 3pm of the previous working day of the tribunal,” the bench said, giving the DDA a time of three weeks to respond and submit a detailed affidavit.

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“In spite of orders by NGT, the Delhi high court, and the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the floodplain of River Yamuna in Delhi has not been cleared from encroachment,” the tribunal said on February 6. It emphasised that floodplains cannot be occupied, as such encroachments harm the river’s ecology.

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NGT had initially directed the DDA, the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and the Delhi government’s forest department to take action against encroachments, but little progress has been made. “DDA, DPCC and forest department were directed to take action in accordance with the law. After that order of the tribunal, more than five years have passed, but till now the order has not been complied with,” the bench said.

The tribunal expressed frustration that more than five years had passed since its 2019 order, yet compliance remained lacking.

To be sure, this is not the first time NGT has pulled up DDA over its handling of its projects on the Yamuna floodplains.

Last month, the tribunal flagged excessive concretisation in six ongoing projects, including Asita East, two casting yards, two ghats, and the now-defunct Millennium Bus Depot site. It directed DDA to implement recommendations from the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) to restore ecological balance.

NGT has also been pushing for the completion of Yamuna floodplain demarcation, a process that has faced repeated delays.

In March 2024, it ordered DDA and the Delhi government to finalise the demarcation using a one-in-100-year flood probability model instead of the earlier one-in-25-year approach. However, this directive remains unimplemented.