The National Green Tribunal has directed the Ghaziabad District Magistrate to remove encroachment on a green belt area on which a private building named ''Udyog Bhawan'' has been constructed.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said there is nothing to rebut the report of the District Magistrate that the construction in question is illegal encroachment of green belt in violation of the Master Plan, without requisite permission of the Nagar Nigam.
"We direct District Magistrate, Ghaziabad with the assistance of SSP, Ghaziabad to forthwith take remedial action of removing the encroachment and restoring the green belt," the NGT said while taking note of the submission of the counsel for the Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Authority.
"Any failure in this regard may leave no option except to take coercive measures against the District Magistrate, Ghaziabad and SSP, Ghaziabad personally," the tribunal warned in a recent order.
It also directed the District Magistrate to assess and recover compensation for wrongful encroachment of public land in the green belt.
Pending assessment of final compensation, a token amount of Rs. 10 lakh be deposited as interim compensation for the violations within one month, failing which coercive measures for recovery may be taken, the NGT said.
The encroacher the Industrial Area Manufactures Association submitted that construction on the green belt is not commercial building but a public building used by the public at large.
It said the association has 212 Members representing industrial units in the industrial sectors and the building is used for the meeting of the industrial owners.
The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by journalist Sunil Kumar Sharma alleging encroachment on the green belt, in violation of the Master Plan, by way of a private building named ''Udyog Bhawan'' at Ghaziabad.
