MP, pollution board get HC notice on Narmada pollution

JABALPUR: Madhya Pradesh High Court (MPHC) has issued notices to state government and state pollution control board over sewage flowing into Narmada river in different districts. Respondents have been asked to submit their replies within four weeks. Action came following petition filed by a social worker Kishore Dua. He said that Narmada was getting polluted with urban sewage flowing from more than 11 drains in Dindori.
Dua said that similar situation prevailed in other regions through which Narmada is flowing. He said not only the river is getting polluted, it also hurts the religious sentiments of people. He has sought a complete ban on people using soap while taking a dip in the river. In January, MPHC had issued an ultimatum to the state government to clear all encroachments on banks of river Narmada while hearing another petition. The ultimatum came after government's failure to comply with directives on the issue in past. Petitioner Satish Verma filed a contempt petition stating that encroachments around the river were not removed under political pressure. In December 2012, division bench of HC presided over by Justice KK Lahoti and Justice Subhash Kakde Jain had ordered civic authorities to observe strict adherence to the master plan-2008 and remove all encroachments on both banks of river Narmada.
Verma submitted before the court though the city master plan had come into force on October 1, 2010, it has since been breached by greedy builders, developers and neo-rich alike much to the detriment of environmental safety concerns. The petitioner had claimed that the master plan had categorically prohibited any kind of construction activity within 300 metres of the river banks on either side. The petitioner pointed to illegal construction in Bhedaghat, Dhuandhar, Umaghat, Jilaharighat and Darogaghat areas, which have been found particularly notorious in this regard. The bench had taken serious view of reports of pollution caused by discharge of drainage water at two major points in Narmada.