BHOPAL : The residents of the apartment complexes built in the green belt of the Kaliasot River will file criminal and civil suits against the builders, the banks that sanctioned housing loans to them and the government.
The buildings have been constructed in an area within 33 metres from the river bed, which is a no-construction, green belt zone and even on the river bed. The state government and the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) have told the NGT that 77 buildings had been constructed in the green belt, including Virasha Heights, 99 Signature, Sagar Premium Towers, Amrapali, Bhoomika Residency and Sarvdharm Colony.
“We will file criminal and civil cases against the builder Sanjeev Agrawal. At the time of booking, he had assured us that project has all the clearances. But now we have discovered that our complex is within the green belt. It is not our fault. We have the copies of all the permissions. We will also file a petition in the NGT for penalising the builder, banks and the government”, said Dr. AK Tiwari, President, Residents Welfare Society, Sagar Premium Towers. “We will also lodge a criminal complaint against the builder for cheating and defrauding us”, he added.
Petitioner Dr. Subhash Pandey along with the officials of BMC and town and country planning department inspected the site on Wednesday. “The builders filled the river bed for construction. This will kill the river”, said Dr. Pandey. “Many projects do not have sewage treatment plants on their premises. I will submit the findings to NGT”, he added. The NGT, in its earlier order, had directed the district administration to clear the fillings but it has not been done, he complained.
The officials present during the inspection declined comment.
The pillars on which markings have been made indicating the outer limit of the green belt have been hidden by many builders.
Environmentalist Dr. Subhash Pandey had filed a petition in the central bench of NGT stating that illegal construction on the banks of the river was a threat to its existence. CZB of NGT has ordered in August 2014 that any construction within the 33 meters of river bed was illegal and directed the government to demarcate the river bed and the green belt.