NGT Committee asks DDA to submit report on dumping in floodplains

The National Green Tribunal (NGT)-appointed Yamuna Monitoring Committee (YMC) wrote to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on August 4, accusing it of “concealing facts” on the continued dumping of debris and waste in the Yamuna floodplains and asking it to submit a “comprehensive report”.

The two-member YMC has given the DDA more time to submit a report.

“From media reports and videos on social media...it is evident that the reports given to YMC were not reliable. The claims had clearly been made without checking the ground situation and amounted to concealment of facts,” YMC’s letter stated.

The YMC had ordered an inspection of the floodplains underneath the Signature Bridge and the Sarai Kale Khan flyover by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) and DDA after complaints of dumping of debris and biomedical waste surfaced on July 27.

“DDA is requested to institute an efficient and reliable system to prevent ingress in the floodplains. The delay in responses is also highlighted and is resulting in public apprehension that nothing is being done. You may wish to fix accountability as the officers who have been reporting to YMC appear not to be conversant with the ground reality and depend on others without checking,” it said.

The committee also said that despite it asking DDA several times to augment the number of security personnel given the size of the floodplains, repeated cases of fresh encroachment and riverside dumping, it has not been done.

“Also, it is shocking that debris is still lying on the site, despite DDA claiming that the 4,600 cubic metres of construction and demolition debris has been collected and the floodplains are free of such dumped material”, it said.

YMC also asked DPCC that the joint inspection report be submitted and “punitive” action be taken against the violators polluting the floodplains.

In response to the letter, DDA initiated another inspection of the floodplains on August 4.

DDA vice-chairman Anurag Jain said, “An inspection was taken up by the DDA on July 29 and again on August 4. It was found that the debris had been lying after construction work undertaken by different agencies. The DDA took up the matter with the respective agencies and they have agreed on clearing it expeditiously. Also, a systemic change is being put in place so that it is not repeated in the future. Besides, adequate security personnel had already been deployed.”

Hindustan Times (on July 28 and August 1) reported on the unabated dumping of construction debris as well as it being levelled and flattened at various locations, including Mayur Vihar, Sarai Kale Khan and at the Signature Bridge.