Revival push for 2 H’bag water bodies following NGT order

Hazaribag: Dhobia Talab and Jhinjiria Nala, which had been encroached upon by builders for the last 20 years, may soon be revived following a recent order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that has banned all illegal construction activities around these two water bodies, citing a threat to their existence.
Talking to TOI on Friday, 50-year-old Savita Devi — a resident of Sharma Sadan in Korrah locality, who had sought a ban on illegal construction around the two water bodies by filing a petition with the NGT— said, “I hope the NGT order will set the tone for the revival of the two water bodies. Due to the illegal construction around the two lakes, the adjoining localities are often water-logged whenever it rains.”
Hazaribag DC Bhuvanesh Pratap Singh said they are yet to get the NGT order officially. “We will do the needful as soon as we get it,” he added.
Dhobia Talab, located in the heart of Hazaribag town, has a slew of multi-storeyed buildings encroaching upon its catchment area. Majority of the buildings do not possess valid land documents, sources in the local circle office here said. Of the 7.5 acre area of Dhobia Talab, around two acres of it is occupied by encroachers, the sources added. A similar case can be seen around Jhinjiria Nala.
Sadar SDO Megha Bharadawaj said the district administration had conducted several raids in the past to get rid of the encroachers around Dhobia Talab. She added, “In the past, we had imposed prohibitory orders at Dhobia Talab to prevent encroachment and had stopped the illegal constructions. Last year, notices were slapped to many alleged encroachers, directing them to appear before the SDO court but no one turned up.”