NGT issues bailable warrant as none appears from UD Ministry

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) today issued bailable warrants against the concerned official of the Ministry of Urban Development after no one from there appeared before it despite notice on a plea for removing concrete from soil surfaces and tree roots in residential and commercial areas in Ghaziabad as well as across the country.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also restrained the authorities from violating guidelines in relation to construction in parks after the Tribunal was told that around 40 per cent of the surface area of parks are being concretised as against the five per cent under the stipulated norms.

"Respondent 1 (Ministry of Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation) has been served and despite service nobody is present on its behalf. Consequently, we issue bailable warrant against Respondent 1 in the sum of Rs 10,000..., for appearance of competent officer before the Tribunal as his presence is necessary to adjudicate the matter...
"We restrain the concerned authorities and respondents from violating the guidelines conditions in relation to construction in parks," the bench said.
The bench restrained the authorities from violating the norms for construction in parks after advocate Manish Vashishtha, appearing for the petitioner Akash Vashishtha, an environmentalist, submitted nearly 40 percent of the surface area of Raj Nagar District park in Ghaziabad, UP, has been covered by constructions in violation of the condition that only five per cent be concretised.

He said the condition has been provided in the instructions issued by the Chief Secretary, Government of Uttar Pradesh, on April, 2001 wherein it has also been stated that the footpaths and tracks in parks should be constructed only with permeable and semi-permeable perforated blocks.
The court was hearing a plea by Vashishtha alleging that the "extensive and mindless" tiling or concretisation of the land is not only preventing rain water from recharging the ground water but also "choking" trees to death.