Varanasi's tent city was set up in violation of green norms: NGT

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) said on Thursday that a tent city on the Ganga riverbed in Varanasi was set up and operated in 2023 in violation of environmental norms.

The green body was hearing a petition saying the tent city was set up without the requisite clearances and it is polluting the river and causing harm to flora and fauna.

A bench of NGT Chairperson Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel said, ''We find that the tent city by the Respondents 11 (M/S Praveg Communications India Limited) and 12 (M/S Niraan the Tent City) was set up and operated in violation of the environmental norms and the provisions of the River Ganga (Rejuvenation, Protection and Management) Authorities order.'' It noted that the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB), in November 2023, levied an environmental compensation of around Rs 17 lakh each on the respondents for operating the tent city in violation of green norms from January to May.

The tribunal directed the UPPCB and the environment department of the Uttar Pradesh government to recover the fine expeditiously within three months.

It directed the state authorities concerned to ensure that ''no such tent city is allowed to be set up on the bank of the river Ganga or its tributaries''.

The Varanasi Development Authority (VDA) had entered into an agreement with the two respondents for developing the city, which was set up opposite the Chet Singh Ghat in 2023.

After a plea claiming environmental violations was filed by the petitioner through advocate Saurabh Tiwari, the NGT formed a seven-member joint committee in March 2023 to verify the allegations.

The committee flagged several environmental violations by the private entities, following which the state authorities levied the environmental compensation on them.

According to the VDA, the tent city operated from January 15 to May 31, 2023. The state authorities decided not to set up the city in the subsequent year as the present matter was pending before the NGT.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)