Puri: The Union Forest, Environment and Climate Change Ministry has asked the state Environment director to file a report on the status of Musa riverbed near Atharanala in Puri district.
The Ministry issued the direction December 29 last after Jagannath Bastia, an environmentalist, in a complaint alleged that a large tract of Musa riverbed situated at the entrance of Puri is encroached by the Sewerage Board.
The Sewerage Board had constructed 35 manholes on the riverbed encroaching 35 feet into the riverbed and 300 metres in length squeezing the flow of water in the river on the pretext of beautification of the river. The laying of sewer network is being executed by the Sewerage Board under the UD department by spending crores of rupees under the Hridaya Yojana mooted by the Centre.
Bastia alleged that the natural riverbed is being blocked and there is every possibility that the entire water body would be polluted in the event of any leakage in the sewer system. The ministry December 29 has asked the state environment director to file a status report in this regard.
In addition to it the central river conservation directorate has also directed the state government to conduct an inquiry into the ongoing construction activities in the riverbed and file report.
Bastia said the construction has been done in violation of the direction of Supreme Court which while disposing a PIL ruled that no water body would be converted into land mass and natural flow of water should not be obstructed.
The Union government had constituted a special department ‘Central Wetland Conservation and Regulating Authority’ for this purpose. The Forest and Environment department had directed all district collectors and development authorities not to allow anyone to transform the water bodies into land mass.
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