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New Delhi : The National Green Tribunal(NGT) vide its order/judgment dated December 10, 2015, in OA No 200 of 2014- M.C. Mehta vs Union of India and ors. has inter-alia directed that as an interim measure, at least 100m from middle of the river would be treated and dealt with as ‘Eco sensitive and prohibited zone’. No activity whether permanent or temporary in nature will be permitted to be carried on in this zone including camping.
The area beyond 100 meters and less than 300 meters would be treated as regulatory zone in the hilly terrain, for which the State will comply with the above directions. The area up to 200 meters shall be the prohibited area in the plain terrain and more than 200 meters and less than 500 meters would be treated as regulatory zone.
Area/river bank/flood plain 2 km. upstream to Rishikesh and till Border of the State of Uttarakhand towards Uttar Pradesh in river Ganges would be treated as plain terrain while upstream to the above terrain as hilly terrain.
Further vide its order dated December 15, 2017, the NGT has directed that no construction would be permitted in the Flood Plain in consonance with the judgement of the Tribunal in the case of Indian Council for Enviro-Legal Action Vs. National Ganga River Basin Authority & Ors. The NGT reiterated that in the area falling within 50 mtrs from edge of the river in the hilly terrain, no construction would be permitted, nor any other activity carried out and it shall be treated as Prohibitory Zone.
Beyond 50 mtrs and up to 100 mtrs in the hilly terrain it shall be treated as Regulatory Zone. Regulatory activity shall be notified by the State and till that time there shall be no construction activity permitted in that area. Once the river enters the plain or even hilly areas where width of the river is more than 70 mtrs, in that event area of 100 mtrs from the edge of the river shall be treated as Prohibitory Zone while 100 mtrs to 300 mtrs would be treated as Regulatory Zone and till the time the State notifies the restricted activities, there shall be no construction activity even in the Regulatory Zone.
Notification of river Alaknanda, Bhagirathi, Bhilangana, Mandakini, Saraswati, and Ganga has been issued as per “The Uttarakhand Flood Plain Zoning Act, 2012″. Flood Plaining Zone (FPZ) notification for districts Uttarkashi, Tehri Garhwal & Chamoli in river Bhagirathi, Bhilangana, Alaknanda [reach Mana to Taulilagarano / Kameda in district Chamoli and Srinagar dam to Devprayag {right bank} reach in district Tehri Garhwal] and river Ganga [reach Devprayag to Muni-ki-Reti in district Tehri Garhwal (including Yamkeshwar Tehsil of Pauri Garhwal) has been issued by Government of Uttarakhand. Further scope of flood plain zoning in 1st phase for 13 rivers about 955 km and in 2nd phase for 9 rivers about 1151 km have been identified.
In District Uttarkashi, 6 encroachments has been removed in flood plain notified area and in Haridwar district, 13 encroachment have been identified till date, and process of de-encroachment initiated in the “Court of District Flood Plain Zoning Authority”.This Information was given by the Minister of State for Jal Shakti & Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu in Rajya Sabha on July 19, 2021, according to a PIB release.