NGT orders probe into pond renovation at Govardhan in Mathura

The National Green Tribunal today ordered the Mathura district magistrate to conduct an inquiry into how two former village heads have awarded pond renovation works without following legal procedures in the pilgrimage town of Govardhan.

A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore said that neither any meeting nor any resolution was passed to renovate the Sankarshan Kund in Anyor and Rudra Kund in Jatipura.

"The Mathura DM as well as the SDM, present in court, are directed to look into the question as to how two ex-pradhans had issued the aforesaid documents on behalf of the panchayat and allowed the public property for the purpose of renovation, which till date is under the control of the party in whose favour the documents are executed.

"The district collector shall enquire in accordance with law, after giving opportunity for hearing to the pradhan, in respect of execution of the aforesaid documents and to take appropriate steps for giving permission without following due procedure, which has resulted in misappropriation of public property without permission from competent authority and even without the approval from the gram panchayat," the bench said.

It also directed the Mathura district collector and senior superintendent of police, divisional forest officer and the SDM to remain present on May 24, the next date of hearing.

The order came after the green panel was informed by Mukesh Kaushik that he was the pradhan of gram panchayat Anyor till 2015 and the renovation work was allotted by him.

Another person, Shyam Singh, told the tribunal that he was the pradhan of Jatipura gram panchayat until 2015 and the renovation work was allotted by him.

The NGT had rapped the Uttar Pradesh government and Mathura district authorities for not complying with its order on construction and felling of trees. It had declared the entire "Parikrama Marg" as no-construction zone to avoid any encroachment and asked the civic bodies to construct a sewerage system along the holy area.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Mathura-based Giriraj Parikrama Sanrakshan Sansthan and others seeking compliance of the August 4, 2015, directions of the NGT.

The organisation had raised the issue of civic authorities discharging sewage and municipal waste into the ponds and other water bodies in Govardhan.