Green court allows Haj House in Ghaziabad to open for one month

GHAZIABAD: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has ordered the de-sealing of Haj House in Ghaziabad for four weeks to ascertain the level of compliance of its sewage treatment plant (STP) that was installed recently. The Haj House was sealed on NGT orders in February last year for flouting environmental norms on a petition filed by city-based environmentalist Sushil Raghav.
The NGT order, which was passed on Tuesday, said: “Let the building be de-sealed for the purpose of inspecting the compliance in the light of optimum operation of the STP. Such opening will be initially for four weeks. Thereafter, in the light of the inspection report, the SPCB (UPPCB) will be at liberty to take further decision in the matter in accordance with the law.”
“We had contended in NGT when he had filed a case against construction of Haj House on the ground that it was built on Hindon flood plain area and hence it be demolished,” said Raghav, the co-petitioner. “The court, however, in its subsequent order had turned down our demolition plea but had ordered officials to ensure that a STP to treat 136 KLD of waste water has been installed in the complex or not, but since it was not installed the NGT in February last year had ordered to seal it till the time STP was installed,” added Raghav.
“The court now wants to ascertain the efficiency of the STP and for that it has ordered de-sealing for four weeks and in that time the officials have been asked to ascertain whether it is working to optimum capacity,” he said.
The UP Pollution Control Board, after inspecting STP’s efficiency for four weeks, will have the final say in deciding whether the Haj House can be de-sealed permanently or not. The Haj House was inaugurated by the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in 2016.