- 84 out of 96 encroachments on government land, NGT imposed penalty
- Request to waive penalty of Rs 5 lakh imposed on CS
- If not waived off, amount will be deposited on order date itself
Chronicle Reporter, Bhopal
A 512-page report was presented by the state government in the case of Kaliasot-Kerwa Dam. In this report, it was clearly stated that the penalty of Rs 5 lakh was imposed on the Chief Secretary by the NGT; in this, the government advocate and OIC officials did not communicate properly, due to which the image of the state government was tarnished.
After the matter gained momentum, the Chief Secretary formed a state level joint committee. The committee prepared and submitted a detailed report, which was presented on Wednesday. In the report, a request was made to waive the penalty imposed on CS, and it was also said that if it is not waived, the amount will be deposited immediately. The formed committee found that encroachment has been done at 96 places along the banks of Kaliasot Dam, out of which 84 encroachments are on government lands. At the same time, the committee found 33 encroachments near Kerwa Reservoir, out of which 18 encroachments were done on government land.
It was said in the report that the CS was kept in the dark in the matter, after the negligence came to light, SCN was issued to two OIC officers and their answers were sought. The 6-member team visited various places from August 22 to September 8 and learned the ground reality, in which it was found that the 35 meter green belt of Kaliasot-Kerwa Dam covers an area of 79.022 hectares and 82.58 hectares, which is marked as buffer zone. The committee said that 123 pillars were installed on the boundary of Kaliasot Dam, out of which 64 pillars were found broken. The committee said that 679 pillars will be installed for marking and demarcation of Kaliasot Dam, out of which 227 pillars have been installed so far.
No pillar found
Regarding Kerwa Reservoir, the committee said that none of the pillars installed earlier are within the limits of the pond. In compliance with the order of NGT, it was told that a total of 1080 pillars will be installed for demarcation and marking of Kerwa Dam. It is to inform that a petition has been filed in NGT by environmentalist Dr. Subhash C Pandey.
