Demolish walls built on Yamuna, NGT tells Agra Development Authority

AGRA: The National Green Tribunal has directed Agra Development Authority to demolish the concrete walls built by two real estate builders on river Yamuna and along it and submit a report by August 3, the next date of hearing in this regard. A bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice

Swatanter Kumar

passed this order n while hearing the Yamuna floodplain case on Thursday.

The court has been hearing a petition filed by Agra-based activist and member of the Supreme Court appointed monitoring committee DK Joshi against real estate developers who have allegedly built walls in the Yamuna. After his death last year, Uma

Shankar Patwa

and others are fighting the case on his behalf.

The petitioners had in an earlier hearing informed the court how the respondents had built walls in the river and tried to change its course. The builders, it is learned, built the walls to prevent river water from entering the housing complex in the event of a flood-like situation.

During a hearing on July 17, the court had asked the builders and Agra authorities to submit their replies.

On Thursday, the tribunal gave three days to the builders who have not filed their affidavits so far to do the needful. “In the event of non-compliance of the orders of the tribunal, adverse inference will be drawn against them,” the court order stated.

Petitioners’ counsel

Rahul Chaudhary

said, “It is not that the court has asked the Agra authorities for the first time to demolish the walls. At that time, officials had told the court that they would demolish them but recently we once again presented pictures to the court which showed that the walls still exist.”

The National Green Tribunal had sought to know from Agra authorities and builders how a concrete wall was built on the Yamuna in Dayal Bagh area of the city. It also slammed the authorities and wanted to know what the administration was doing when it was being constructed. Later, it had directed them to demolish it.