With riders,HC allows PMC to undertake storm water drain work
The Bombay High Court has permitted the Pune Municipal Corporation to undertake construction work for storm water drainage system in the city in conformity with the recommendations of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
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The Bombay High Court has permitted the Pune Municipal Corporation to undertake construction work for storm water drainage system in the city in conformity with the recommendations of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MOEF).
Even as the HC bench of justices V K Tahilramani and D D Sinha gave their nod,they restrained the PMC from carrying out concretisation work. We want to make it clear that the Corporation should not carry out the activity of concretisation without obtaining court permission. The corporation is required to relocate sewer line outside the drains immediately so as to prevent ground water contamination through percolation.
The HC had last year ordered a stay on storm water drain work in the vicinity of rivers in the city. Civic officials said they would adhere to the HC directions.
The order came in respect to a public interest litigation (PIL) filed last year by Baner Area Sabha and Jal Biradari,through their lawyer Gayatri Singh. The PIL challenged the channelisation of Devnadi and alleged that the PMC was destroying the natural flow of the river.
The PMC had submitted to the court,through its lawyer A A Kumbhakoni,that the storm water drainage system was absolutely necessary to eliminate the hurdle of water logging,flooding,loss to life and property and provide safety,good health to the citizens and improve hygienic conditions in the city. The Rs 177.95-crore project was approved by the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) in 2009.
Suneel Joshi of Jal Biradari said they had told the court that if it is inclined to grant permission to the PMC to carry out construction of storm water drainage system,it should be in accordance with the six recommendations of the MOEF. It said the width of the natural water bodies as shown in the Development Plan must be maintained,there should be no intervention in water bodies wide enough to serve their natural functions and non-concretisation techniques may be used for interventions,no debris dumping may be allowed in the vicinity of water bodies,sewage or drainage lines may not be laid in water bodies or their flood plains or wetlands and nine metre wide corridor on either side of water bodies in urban areas should be afforested to create green belt.
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