NGT directs functionaries of UP government to monitor compliance of its directions in Mathura

"Instead of the tribunal dealing with the several authorities, monitoring may be done jointly at the level of senior functionaries of the State who may meet at least once in a month and take stock of compliance status and iron out difficulties if any," the bench said.

The National Green Tribunal Tuesday directed senior functionaries of UP government to monitor compliance of its directions including construction of a service road around Parikrama Marg at Govardhan in Mathura district. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said a period of more than five years has already gone by and the pending issues in terms of its directions should be speedily addressed. "Instead of the tribunal dealing with the several authorities, monitoring may be done jointly at the level of senior functionaries of the State who may meet at least once in a month and take stock of compliance status and iron out difficulties if any," the bench said. For this purpose, the tribunal constituted a committee comprising Principal secretaries Tourism (Nodal authority) and Urban Development, PWD Engineer-in-Chief, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Head of Forest Force), Member Secretary of state pollution control board, Mathura District Magistrate, Mathura and CEO of Mathura Vrindavan Development Authority.

The NGT directed that first such meeting of the committee may be held on or before September 30. "The District Magistrate, Bharatpur, Rajasthan may coordinate with the District Magistrate, Mathura once in a month to sort out the relevant issues. "Meetings may be held physically or by video conferencing. The Committee may involve any other experts or institutions for eco restoration of the area, including genuine religious or charitable institutions and members of the community, to the extent considered useful and necessary by the Committee," the bench said. According to a legend when Krishna protected the inhabitants of Vraj Vridavan from the wrath of Indra, he advised them to worship Govardhana hill and they did by way of a puja (worship) and a parikrama (circumambulation) around the hill.

Govardhana Hill has a ''Parikrama'' of about 23 km and can take five to six hours to complete. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Mathura-based Giriraj Parikrama Sanrakshan Sansthan and others seeking compliance of the NGT''s August 4, 2015, directions.