NGT Asks Environment Ministry To Inspect Okhla Bird Sanctuary For Illegal Construction

New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has directed a representative of the Centre to inspect and report if any unauthorised construction has been carried out inside Noida’s Okhla Bird Sanctuary.

The green body was hearing a plea claiming that the divisional forest officer (DFO) concerned was constructing illegal permanent structures inside the sanctuary, which was located on the Yamuna River floodplain.

In an order dated December 13, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel noted that a reply had been filed by the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority that a road was being constructed inside the sanctuary, but the project had been discontinued and dismantled.

The tribunal noted the submissions by the authority’s counsel, as per which, there was no impermissible permanent construction inside the sanctuary.

"Hence, we dispose of the original application by directing that a representative of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) will carry out the inspection and ascertain if there is any impermissible construction existing inside the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and will submit the report within eight weeks," the tribunal said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)