Report on dumping of soil in Chenab and Tawi rivers, 17/03/2020
Report in terms of the National Green Tribunal order of January 9, 2020 in O.A. No. 295/2016 in the matter of Amresh Singh Vs Union of India. The report was filed by the NGT Monitoring Committee, Jammu on March 17, 2020. The matter arise from a complaint lodged by one Amresh Singh with regard to rampant dumping of soil in Chenab and Tawi rivers in the process of four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, NH-44 from Udhampur to Banihal, adversely affecting the environmental balance.
The report stated that violations in regard to dumping/disposal of the excavated muck/debris including unauthorised and illegal dumping was taking place in Nashri to Ramban segment and there was lack of proper maintenance of designated dumping sites leading to passage of muck/debris into the Chenab area. At one stage representative of the project proponent (Gammon India Ltd.) sought to shift liability to an agency engaged by them and also attributing the situation to, what he called, repeated landslides in the area. Such explanations, in so far as they relate to excavated muck/soil, however, cannot be accepted once it is known that excavation work in a large scale is in progress in this area and good number of designated dumping sites is available. The project proponent cannot take refuge by shifting responsibility to some agency engaged by them.
With respect to Ramban to Banihal segment, the project proponent was continuing with the use of the dumping sites, which have attained full capacity as new dumping sites have not been provided by the government.