Jaipur: The National Green Tribunal’s July 3 order directing immediate removal of encroachments from Chandlai Dam’s catchment has left state agencies grappling with how to act against structures built on private land with valid approvals.“There are barely six to seven such structures in the catchment areas of the dam, creating problems. But the problem is structures are located on private lands with valid sanction plans. Even commercial establishments have valid licences. We are still uncertain about how to respond to the NGT directive,” stated an official from the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA).The tribunal pulled up state authorities, particularly JDA, for failing to protect Chandlai Lake from encroachment, garbage dumping and pollution. A bench headed by Justice Sheo Kumar Singh directed the district collector and other agencies to immediately remove encroachments from the waterbody. It also ordered authorities to prevent untreated water and garbage from entering the lake and to demolish, at the violators’ cost, any construction raised in violation of Section 4 of the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017, during the pendency of the application.JDA enforcement wing DIG Anand Sharma said action was taken earlier in compliance with court orders. “We are still examining the latest NGT order,” Sharma said.Officials of the water resources department said the structures have not been formally declared encroachments. However, they maintained that such constructions violate wetland norms and pose a serious threat to Chandlai Lake and the dam.The petition before the tribunal also alleged continuous discharge of industrial waste into Chandlai Lake from 1,225 textile units in Sanganer. Following the order, JDA officials said work on a common effluent treatment plant would be expedited.“Once this plant becomes operational, not a single drop of water from the textile units will enter the dam. The plant will filter the polluted water and will resend it to the units for reuse,” a JDA official added.
