Environmental activists had written a letter on January 20 to CM Vijay Rupani, Chief Secretary and other Principal Secretaries including the UDD, seeking a report on the implementation of the various orders of the NGT, the Supreme Court and other competent authorities to the VMC. (File)

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) which has been sitting on the Vishwamitri Riverfront project — that has been christened thrice and several crores spent on the consultation and feasibility reports of the project — does not seem to have answers regarding the non-compliance of orders of the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court and other authorities seeking corrective measures from VMC for the river.

The VMC has sought information regarding the implementation of orders from multiple departments after a letter from the state Urban Planning Department directed the civic body to respond to letters sent by environmental activist Rohit Prajapati seeking clarity on the project.

Environmental activists had written a letter on January 20 to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Chief Secretary and other Principal Secretaries including the Urban Development Department (UDD), seeking a report on the implementation of the various orders of the National Green Tribunal, the Supreme Court and other competent authorities to the VMC regarding the Vishwamitri river.

The activists contend that the VMC has ignored all orders and repeated directions as well as chosen to ignore communication seeking updates on the same.

“Before going ahead with the detailed project report (DPR) for the Vishwamitri river, the corporation must first implement the Supreme Court order, dated February 22, 2017 in the civil writ petition filed by the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti as well as the December 6, 2019 order of the National Green Tribunal. The orders had asked the VMC to take corrective and proactive steps in the interest of the ecology. But the VMC, instead of removing the dumped debris, had continued with the dumping of fresh debris…,” said Rohit Prajapati of Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti.

Calling it a “deliberate inaction and lack of proactive administrative efforts by the VMC for the Vishwamitri river, the activists questioned the VMC’s lackadaisical approach to furnishing reports to the UDD. The activists had written a letter to the CM and other departments urging them to clarify the status of the ongoing project as Rupani, on December 20, had chaired a meeting with stakeholders of three districts from where the Vishwamitri flows, to devise a plan to mitigate the risk of floods during monsoon by initiating project for the river.

A letter from the Deputy Secretary, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department, Gujarat State had sent a letter on January 24, 2020, to VMC Commissioner Nalin Upadhyay, seeking a reply to Prajapati’s letter dated by January 31. However, Prajapati said that the VMC “showed no urgency or regard” with the directive of the UDD either.

Prajapati said, “Unfortunately, this letter was forwarded without any proper directions to various department of VMC by letter on January 29, signed by the engineer of the futuristic cell. It is utter shocking and surprising. At least for the UDD the corporation should have shown some regard and furnished the details. The letter is sent on 29th to various departments although the UDD has sought a reply by January 31 and it is not even signed by the Municipal Commissioner.”

The VMC has forwarded the letter to assistant commissioners of the four zones in the city, as well as engineers serving in the four zones along with those of the solid waste department, the storm water drains, town planning department, housing schemes and even the engineer of the Ajwa division.

Officials of the futuristic planning cell of the VMC said that the letter of the UDD was received only earlier this week and the “internal communication to various departments seeking information was sent out immediately as the Vishwamitri project involves various departments of the city.”