Take action against illegal constructions within 3 months: NGT to PPCB

{Ladhowal Bypass} commercial units
In response to a complaint filed by members of the Public Action Committee (PAC), a civil society group, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB) to act against illegal constructions of commercial units on the Ladhowal Bypass within three months.
HT has a copy of the order. Alongside the directions to PPCB, NGT also asked the petitioners to lodge a formal complaint with the PPCB, so that action can be taken against the commercial units.
The commercial establishments on the Ladhowal Bypass, or the South City Canal Road, which are under scanner include a wine shop, taverns, restaurants and banquet halls.
Th petitioners alleged that these businesses have been constructed outside the municipal corporation (MC) limits in collusion with officials from the irrigation department, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA).
According to the Ludhiana Master Plan, the area is designated as residential, the petitioner said.
The case was filed in April and on July 30, the NGT set the three-month deadline for the PPCB to act.
The petitioners, Jaskirat Singh and Kuldeep Singh Khaira, highlighted that multiple eateries along the canal road were illegally discharging waste into a nearby distributary.
They alleged that the eateries were lacking proper sewerage systems and had installed septic tanks on land belonging to the irrigation department and were dumping untreated waste.
The petitioners said that many restaurants and banquet halls had also encroached upon the land, setting up party halls, and installing generator sets and submersible pumps.
The PAC alleged that the irrigation department failed to address these encroachments and the pollution. The petitioners added that some of the banquet halls had also installed sound systems on open terraces, which was in violation of environmental norms.
PAC members Kapil Arora and Amandeep Singh Bains pointed out that earlier, the NGT had directed the pollution control boards of all states to ensure compliance with environmental norms and promote the reuse of wastewater in green areas.
However, the eateries in question have not installed the necessary treatment plants and continue to dump waste into the drain and septic tanks, they alleged.
They also raised concerns about the forest department chopping nearly 1,200 trees for a highway without acquiring the requisite land for replanting.
The complainants said a despite a 30-metre area of land along the highway being designated as no construction zone, GLADA and NHAI allowed construction of commercial buildings. They said this was causing traffic congestions on the highway as there was no parking or halting space on the roadside.