No sewage plant here, it's our cremation ground: Valmiki community contests NGT over Najafgarh plot

The Valmiki community has opposed land acquisition process of a plot in Najafgarh, southwest Delhi, earmarked for the building of an STP (Sewage Treatment Plant) citing it as a cremation ground for their exclusive use.

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Friday rapped the Delhi government and other concerned authorities saying their lack of action in the matter is delaying the court's 'Maily Se Nirmal Yamuna' plan. The bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar also directed the inspection of the piece of land in a village, so that only clean, treated water might flow into the Yamuna soon. Kumar constituted a team of officers from Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the city government who will jointly conduct inspection of the site at Dichaon Kalan village and submit a status report.

"We direct joint inspection team consisting of senior officer of DJB, Land and Building and Land Revenue department of Delhi government and representative of Valmiki Society accompanied by chief engineer of DJB to visit the site and report to the tribunal," the bench said.

The order came after representatives of Valmiki community from the Dichaon Kalan village told the bench that the land on which DJB was planning to set up STP was a cremation ground. The NGT, on October 23, rapped the AAP government and the DJB for not filing their replies to the show cause notices on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for delaying compliance of orders on the Yamuna cleaning project.

DJB CEO had then told the NGT that out of the total fund of Rs 1,755 crore allocated to the board, Rs 939 crore was for water and Rs 816 crore for sewage. Of this, Rs 351 crore had been spent on the sewage head on maintenance and the projects allowed by the committee constituted by the tribunal. The tribunal was informed that a total of 14 STP projects are to be constructed to clean wastewater. Of these, seven are to be built by DJB with its own funds. The green panel had noted that nearly 67 per cent of the pollutants reaching Yamuna would be treated by the two STPs at Delhi Gate and Najafgarh under the first phase of the 'Maili se Nirmal Yamuna Revitalisation Project'.