NGT junks plea on loss of green cover in Mathura park

The National Green Tribunal has junked a plea alleging loss of green cover in Mathura's Jawahar Bagh, where clashes between encroachers and security personnel last year had left 29 people dead.
A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim dismissed the plea seeking setting up of a committee of experts for evaluation of ecological loss and damage caused in Jawahar Bagh incident after repeated absence of the petitioner and his counsel.
"Having noticed the absence of the applicant and counsel, by our order dated January 2, 2017, we directed notice to be issued by the registry to the applicant and counsel to ensure that there is proper representation when we take up this case.

"When this case was called, neither the applicant, nor his counsel appeared. In these circumstances we have no reason to grant further adjournment. This application is dismissed for non-prosecution," the bench said.
The tribunal was hearing a plea by NGO Tree Protection, through advocate Siddhartha Singh, seeking stringent action against erring officials responsible for causing the loss of green cover and air pollution in Jawahar Bagh, which was rocked by violence on June 2 last year.
It had also sought directions to halt the state government's plan to turn some of the 270-acre land into an amusement park with all the civic amenities for the residents of Mathura.

The petition had alleged that besides damage to the environment in Jawahar Bagh, illegal extraction of ground water by encroachers on very large scale had caused serious damage to the ecosystem as the encroachers had installed submersible pumps to extract water which was stored in a makeshift tank.

"The State Horticulture Department that owns the 260 acre Bagh but never acted against the encroachers but chose to ignore damage to the ecology; resulted to massive loss to environment.
"That numbers of complaint were lodged with authorities regarding encroachments and damage to the trees and ecology of the Jawahar Bagh but no action was taken to protect the trees in Jawahar Bagh in this regard," the plea had alleged.

Massive clashes broke out in Mathura on June 2 last year when police were trying to evict illegal occupants, believed to be of an outfit called Azad Bharat Vidhik Vaicharik Kranti Satyagrahi, from Jawahar Bagh on the Allahabad High Court orders.