CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday warned that it will levy heavy fines on Odisha state authorities, including the chief secretary if they fail to respond to notices about illegal constructions on the Tampara lake, a Ramsar site in Ganjam district.
The NGT’s East zone bench in Kolkata expressed strong displeasure over state’s lack of response for more than 16 months to notices issued on a petition filed by the Wildlife Society of Orissa (WSO).
The bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (expert member) said, “We find that this is a case from 2023, where notices were issued on Aug 11, 2023, but till date, no affidavit has been filed by the chief secretary of Odisha, the additional chief secretary of the forest and environment department, the director of environment at the forest, environment, and climate change department, and the chairperson of the State Wetland Authority, Odisha.”
Tampara lake, spanning 751 acres in the Rushikulya river basin, is a crucial freshwater ecosystem. The area is also known for being a significant nesting ground for the endangered Olive Ridley turtles.
The WSO petition, filed by secretary Biswajit Mohanty, seeks to demolish permanent structures, including restaurants, hotels, and resorts constructed within the lake area and its 50-metre periphery. The petition also demands environmental compensation for damages.
While tourism department claims the constructions are part of the Centre’s Swadesh Darshan scheme, environmentalists argue that no impact assessment studies were conducted regarding infrastructure development and tourism activities in the area.
In a previous hearing on Dec 11, 2024, NGT directed the central govt to file a categorical affidavit, as the national wetlands authority is yet to approve these projects.
