NGT declares area near river Ganga as 'no-development zone'

New Delhi [India], July 13 (ANI): The National Green Tribunal on Thursday declared the area 100 metres from the edge of the river Ganga as a 'no-development zone' in the stretch between Haridwar to Unnao. The green panel directed that there should not be any kind of waste dumping within 500 meters from the edge of Ganga within the stretch of Haridwar to unnao. The tribunal also directed authorities to impose a penalty of Rs. 50,000 on people dumping waste in river Ganga, within the stretch of Haridwar to Unnao. In its order, the NGT also observed that almost Rs. 7,304 crore have been spent within the stretch, but it has all gone in vain. The NGT also observed that there are fundamental errors in planning and regulation that have led to the failure of the cleaning of Ganga. In its previous hearing, the NGT had asked the ministries of environment and power to apprise it about the steps taken by thermal power plants to avoid discharge of effluents and fly ash around the Ganga river. The tribunal, earlier this year, decided on an inspection of the most polluted stretch of the Ganga between Haridwar in Uttarakhand and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh to get a clear picture on the situation. The green tribunal is hearing, since February 6, a 32-year-old case of pollution in the river, after the Supreme Court forwarded the matter to it. In April, the NGT ordered the shutting down of 13 polluting industries along the river and imposed penalty on several others. (ANI)