Ghaziabad: NGT hauls up civic bodies on sewer mess
Welcome To CitySpidey

Location

Ghaziabad: NGT hauls up civic bodies on sewer mess

October 4 is the date for the next hearing. Will the GDA and state authorities be able to come up with a permanent solution for the problem of overflowing drains?    

Ghaziabad: NGT hauls up civic bodies on sewer mess Sewer water clogging lanes

Irked and tired with the messy sewage system of Indirapuram, Ghaziabad’s Federation of Apartment Owners Association (FedAoA) had filed a plea with the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which was heard today.

“The National Green Tribunal has sought answers from the Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation, Ghaziabad Development Authority, UP Jal Nigam, Principal Secretary Urban Planning, UP Pollution Control Board and the District Magistrate of Ghaziabad. A bench headed by the NGT Chairman has issued notices to the Yogi Adityanath government and its authorities,” said Prashant Kumar counsel for FedAoA.

An order of the Allahabad High Court issued in February last year, had failed to bring about a change in the existing situation. Tired with this messy state of affairs, the Federation of Association of Apartment Owners (FedAOA) has finally approached the National Green Tribunal. A case has also been filed in the green court, citing the environmental impact of the existing state of urban sanitation.

In response to the PIL filed by the residents association, the Allahabad High Court had directed the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) to convene a meeting with resident representatives and figure out a plausible solution.

Following the court’s directive, a five-member team of residents had conducted meetings with officials of the civic authority and put forth their suggestions. The court had also directed the authority to take necessary steps to redress the grievances. However, residents of the township told City Spidey that little or no development has been witnessed after that.

Interestingly, in response to an RTI query that residents have filed on this issue, GDA has stated that there has been progress in terms of getting consultants to scrutinise existing sewer lines with the help of robotics. A similar status was shared over several other issues such as the setting up of an STP and replacement of sewer lines.

Speaking to City Spidey, residents and AOA members from several high-rise societies in Indirapuram have said that despite several follow-ups with agencies, the sewer infrastructure of Indirapuram has not improved. At times, sewer water overflows to basements, and society managements have to dispose of the untreated water directly into neighbourhood drains through pumps. This not only pollutes the neighbourhood but also contaminates the groundwater.

In the absence of a proper sewage disposal system in other areas of Ghaziabad, several high-rises have also resorted to dumping sewer water stored in tankers into open fields situated on the outskirts of the city.

Speaking to City Spidey, Alok Kumar, president of FedAOA, said, “The problem is as old as 2010 when Indirapuram saw a rapid increase in residential occupation. Ever since, we have had several communications with the state government and the local civic agencies to resolve the problem but nothing has happened. We had also approached the high court but sadly the court’s order too failed to solve the problem. We finally had to approach NGT about this issue and are now hoping for a solution.”

“The tribunal has demanded an answer from the state authorities and GDA about the drainage related grievances of the Indirapuram residents and October 4 has been fixed as the next date of hearing,” said Prashant Kumar, the counsel to the petitioner.