231 of 1,075 ponds encroached upon in Gzb, 77 have public utilities, admin informs NGT

A total of 231 ponds and water bodies out of 1,075 identified in Ghaziabad district are encroached upon, the district administration has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT).

- Peeyush Khandelwal

GHAZIABAD:

Of these, 77 are occupied by public utilities such as roads, religious structures, crematoriums, and government facilities like power and railway installations.

The details were submitted in an affidavit by Ghaziabad district magistrate Deepak Meena on April 28, following a petition filed by local resident Himanshu Tyagi. The petitioner alleged that several water bodies in Muradnagar were shrinking due to encroachments, and also raised concerns about contamination.

Following Tyagi's plea, the NGT formed a joint committee headed by the DM as the nodal officer. However, in an earlier order dated September 13, 2024, the tribunal expanded the scope of the investigation to cover the entire district. "We find the existence and maintenance of water bodies of utmost importance for ecology... It would be appropriate to assess the status of water bodies across the entire district rather than confining it to Nagar Palika Parishad, Muradnagar," the NGT noted.