Ask before building, NMC told

Nashik: The Bombay high court has directed the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) to seek permission of the special committee headed by the revenue commissioner befo-re building walls in the bed of Nandini River, a tributary of river Goda-vari. The NMC has begun work on the walls of the Nandini River despite objections by National Environmental Enginee-ring Research Institute (NEERI), which the high court has retained as the expert. The civic body undertook the construction of wing-walls to protect a bridge and retaining walls to protect adjoining areas.

This direction was given on July 6 in a PIL 176/2012 filed by environmentalists. The judgement was uploaded on Thursday. The petitioner had told the HC that NMC was constructing walls in the Nandini against the recommendations of the NEERI.

The HC also made it clear that the NMC will have to seek the committee’s permission before carrying out any similar work in other tributaries of river Godavari. During the course of the PIL, the HC had constituted a high level committee chaired by the Nashik divisional commissioner with members including the collector, NMC commissioner, NEERI representative and petitioner Rajesh Pandit.

The HC also directed the committee to convene a meeting within a month to find out the solution after considering the NEERI’s views. Last month, Mr Pandit saw the construction, objected to it and submitted an application in the HC. He then mailed NEERI and elaborated on the construction. NEERI answe-red that that the construction was against its recommendations. However, NMC questioned NEERI’s expertise and told the court that the wall was necessary to strengthen the bridge over the Nandini and also to buttress two roads parallel to the riverbanks.

Mr Pandit has prayed for stay to the new DP until all the NEERI’s recommendations are incorporated and the HC said that it would be taken up during the PIL’s final hearing on August 23.