VEAG opposes Nag river de-notification proposal

NAGPUR: To ensure survival of city’s iconic Nag River, Vidarbha Environmental Action Group (VEAG) has decided to register strong opposition to the industrial department’s proposal, seeking de-notification of the water body. Requesting not to allow the proposal gain momentum, a memorandum has been submitted with the Maharashtra Water Resources Regulatory Authority (MWRRA) that had turned down similar proposal last year.
TOI had reported about industrial department’s proposal to de-notify the river following immense pressure from a few city-based industrialists on Saturday. Taking a serious note of the proposal which would lead to the river’s slow death, VEAG held a meeting on Sunday and passed resolution to fight tooth and nail the plans to destroy the river.
VEAG co-ordinator RB Goenka, convener Sudhir Paliwal, activists Pradyumna Sahasrabhojanee, Shyam Pandharipande, Swanand Soni and other members were present and decided to meet the authorities concerned to register protest against the proposal. Even retired principal secretary of water resources department SW Deshpande and retired assistant chief engineer Shrikant Doifode opposed the proposal and revealed the ill-effects of de-notifying the river.
Representatives of industries associations, including vice-president of Mihan Industries Association Ajay Soni and vice-president of Vidarbha Industries Association Ashit Sinha, participated in the meeting. Activists and experts from various fields like Vishwas Gharpure, Avinash Pendse, Dauta Shirke, Anand Kotewar, Atul Upadhyay, Pravin Mudholkar, Girish Korgade, Shamala Saniyal, NG Subramanium, Laxmikant Ahirkar, Pratik Dadhe, MG Gadgil and Ramesh Borkute supported the mission to save the Nag River.
Paliwal told TOI VEAG will also take initiative to file petition with the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in case the proposal is entertained by the state environment department, the authority to decide on the proposal. “A letter was sent to MWRRA addressed to member Chitkala Zutshi, requesting not to allow the environment department to consider any proposal related to de-notifying the river. We will also submit a memorandum in this regard to Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), divisional commissioner Anoop Kumar and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC),” he said.
In the letter sent to MWRRA, VEAG said, “We, the representatives of thousands of citizens of Nagpur who participated whole-heartedly and also cerebrally in the Nag River rejuvenation campaign carried out by NMC and The Times of India, have learnt from authoritative sources that a move has been set in motion to de-notify the river’s first stretch. “It is extremely unfortunate that some industrialists, desperate to further their short-term vested interests should push for killing the river instead of trying to join the efforts to revive it or devise ways to conduct industrial operations in a way that does not harm the environment. It is extremely unfortunate that they should perceive the new found popular awakening for the rejuvenation of Nag River and its origin as a threat to their business. It is unfortunate that the industrial department egged on by an ill-thinking industrial lobby should move to act in a pernicious manner that will kill not just the first stretch of the river – which they think doesn’t exist – but the entire river in the city and 33km beyond it. For, it is ridiculous to think that the rest of the river will continue to live after its origin and the first stretch is killed,” the letter state.
Why opposition
*Funds earmarked by the government for the total river’s conservation will not come
*Rejuvenation and conservation of badly ravaged river’s origin and first stretch will not be possible
*River will further pollute and fall prey to more encroachments
*Ambazari lake, part of river’s first stretch, will also fall prey to vested interests