Clear debris around Vishwamitri: MoEF to Vadodara Municipal Corporation

VADODARA: Ahead of the monsoon, pressure on authorities to clear the mess surrounding the Vishwamitri river, that passes from the heart of the city, is rising.
The Union ministry of environment, forest & climate change (MoEF) has asked the ministry of Jal Shakti to submit action taken report on the dumping of construction and demolition waste on the Vishwamitri riverbed.

At the same time, the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), the state’s pollution watchdog, has issued legal notices to Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) and the municipal commissioner on the same issue and warned of legal action leading to the prosecution of the concerned authorities.
The move comes in the backdrop of representations made by a group of concerned citizens who had urged the authorities to immediately act before the onset of monsoon this year.
The citizens led by environment activist Rohit Prajapati last month had made a representation stating that Vadodara had often faced floods and waterlogging but VMC has not taken any action in terms of identifying and removing the construction debris from ravines, waterways, lakes, ponds, wetlands and low-lying areas.
“Even clear directions given by the concerned authorities of the state and the centre in conjunction with the various court orders are deliberately ignored for the reasons best known to the VMC,” the citizens had said in their representation.
In the notice issued to the VMC and municipal commissioner, GPCB observed that the civic body and the municipal commissioner are bound to follow the construction and demolition waste management rules – 2016.
It states that GPCB’s Vadodara regional office had visited the site on May 7 during which it had observed abnormalities.
During the inspection, GPCB’s team had found construction and demolition waste illegally dumped at five locations including the stretch of Vishwamitri river near Bharwadwas in Sama village, Bhukhi Kans near Chhani canal, besides Agora city centre on Mangal Pande Road, behind Akota crematorium near the railway bridge and Ratri Bazar in Karelibaug.
“With regard to the above issue, board had issued various notices to you to remove unauthorized construction and demolition waste in VMC area, in spite of this you have not followed the construction and demolition waste management rules, 2016,” GPCB’s notice states.
In a strongly worded notice, GPCB stated that violation of the construction and demolition waste management rules, 2016 is punishable under the provisions of the environment (protection) Act, 1986.
“You are informed to submit your explanation with clear reasons within 15 days, otherwise it will be believed that you do not want to say anything in this regard and legal action will be initiated against you as per the provisions of the environment (protection) act, 1986,” the notice states.