Ganga pollution: State files affidavit on waste processing plants

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], December 1 : Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Mamta Sanjeev Dubey on Thursday filed a joint affidavit in the Allahabad High Court informing it on the number of operational garbage disposal plants in the state.
The full bench of Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal, Justice MK Gupta and Justice Ajit Kumar held the hearing.
The principal secretary filed a chart, informing that the pollution control board had taken action against some leather industries.
Senior advocate Vijay Bahadur Singh presented the case on behalf of the Omaxe City Project and opposed the ban on new construction of up to 500 meters from the highest flood point and demanded its removal.
He said the order is impractical as, the floods at Prayagraj in 1978 had inundated the collectorate.
"Restriction on construction considering it as the basis is not right. The government's order prohibits construction only up to 200 meters from the banks of the Ganges. The Omaxe company has invested Rs 1,000 crores. More than 3,000 people have taken as plot loans. Many people have bought plots after retirement. Due to the ban, the company is not able to implement its plan to provide housing to lakhs of people," he said.
It was demanded that the court fix a date for a hearing in the matter.
An application was also given on behalf of the plot buyers which stated that they are not being handed their plots or houses.
The court allowed the advocates to file a reply to the government's affidavit.
The next hearing on the case was scheduled on December 14.