Presidium school doesn’t have an electricity connection, runs on 12 DG sets
Hearing on a petition filed by 10 residents of Shipra Srishti, a high-rise in Indirapuram in National Green Tribunal, the court has issued show-cause notices to state of Uttar Pradesh, Ministry of Environment, Ghaziabad Development Authority, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Presidium School and Indirapuram Habitat Center on Tuesday, August 13, 2019.
The residents filed the petition in the court on Friday and today, August 13, 2019, was first hearing of the case. In the petition, the residents have alleged the Presidium school for causing heavy air pollution by using diesel generators and Indirapuram Habitat Center just adjacent to their residential society for creating noise pollution through pubs, restaurant, party/banquet halls operating in it.
“The school does not have its own electricity connection and uses 12 diesel generators of nearly 3000 KV to foster their electricity needs”, said Vikas Tiwari, counsel and petitioner in the case and a resident of the Shipra Srishti.
Similarly, the pubs and the party halls play high decibel music way past the permissible audible limits and permissible time limits set by the authorities, Tiwari added.
"It is in complete violation of Environment (Protection) Act, 1986, National Environment Quality Standards, Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1981, the Noise Pollution Rules 2000 and other bylaws and orders of the NGT," Tiwari cited while speaking to Cityspidey
"They are hampering basic rights of the residents to have fresh air and peaceful sleep," Tiwari commented.
The school and Habitat Center are in proximity of Shipra Srishti and only detached by an internal road between them. The school is on the backside of Indirapuram Habitat Center.
In the year 2017, the Ghaziabad Development Authority had penalised the school for violating pollution norms with a hefty fine of Rs 50,000. However, the school is yet to pay the fine levied, claimed Tiwari.
In September 2018, after the residents raised the matter of constant running of diesel generators to Ritu Maheshwari, then District Magistrate of Ghaziabad, it came in light that the school does not have power connection, neither it applied to the electricity department ever.
Pashchimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) in its reply to DM had mentioned that the school does not have a power connection, said Tiwari.
The bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goyal, SP Langdi and Dr Nagin Nanda has also asked the authorities to submit an affidavit in the court before the next hearing explaining what steps they have taken to resolve the problem faced by the residents of Shipra Srishti.
The court will proceed the next hearing on October 22.
