Provide order of VDS granting concessions to hotel borewells: NGT to Delhi govt

New Delhi, The National Green Tribunal has directed the Delhi government to provide the competent authority’s order regarding the voluntary disclosure scheme, which reportedly granted concessions to hotels for operating borewells.
The green body was hearing a matter regarding illegal extraction of groundwater by 536 hotels in Paharganj.
Last month while hearing the matter, the National Green Tribunal noted the stand of the authorities concerned that hotels and guesthouses in the Paharganj area were operating after informing about their borewells under the voluntary disclosure scheme .
It, however, noted that the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, the Central Ground Water Authority, and the Delhi Jal Board and others denied having framed the policy.
“Prima facie it appears that some kind of scam is going on where, though no VDS is available with the authorities, no authority knows who framed the VDS and no one has a copy of it. Yet, the authorities are extending the concessions based on VDS. We expect the chief secretary of the GNCTD to inquire about this issue,” the tribunal had observed.
In an order dated November 22, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted the submissions of the counsel for the Delhi government about the VDS being framed “at a meeting by a committee” and that she would place on record the scheme along with the competent authority’s affidavit.
The tribunal said, “In that affidavit, the government of the national capital of Delhi will also disclose who was the competent authority that approved the VDS, if any, framed by the committee and the authority that had directed the implementation and manner of implementation of the said VDS.”
“The requisite orders of the competent authority in this regard will be placed on record by the GNCTD along with the affidavit,” it added.
The bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member A Senthil Vel noted the counsel’s submission that the illegal borewells in some hotels or guesthouses, as per a list by the Delhi Jal Board , would be sealed within 10 days.
The tribunal said the counsel also submitted that in future, the authorised officer would take prompt action to seal any illegal borewell within one week of receipt of communication from the DJB.
It said, “The authorised officer is directed to file the affidavit disclosing the details of the illegal borewells which have been sealed in pursuance to the order of the tribunal in this matter, the details of the communication in respect of the illegal borewells received from the DJB along with the time of receipt of communication and date of sealing.”
The matter has been posted for further proceedings on December 20.
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