Special Correspondent
NewsBits.in
Bhopal: Admitting a petition against environmental damage at the ‘Vaicharik Mahakumbh’ to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the central bench zone of National Green Tribunal has served notices on the Madhya Pradesh chief secretary Anthony de Sa and Rajya Sabha member Anil Dave among others.
The NGT on Friday served notices on Ujjain district collector, Indore Municipal Corporation as well as MP Pollution Control Board seeking their response to the petition. The next hearing has been scheduled on May 30.
Anil Dave has been made a respondent in the case as he is among the organizers of the congregation.
The Vaicharik Mahakumbh (ideological congregation) is being held as part of the Simhastha Kumbh 2016 at village Ninaura, just outside Ujjain where the Simhastha is on.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat inaugurated the event on Thursday and PM Modi is expected to attend the concluding session on Saturday.
Activist Ajay Dubey filed a petition against the event, claiming that huge environmental damage was caused during the preparations.
More than 50 big trees were chopped down, thousands of litres of water was wasted and for the purpose, wells of farmers already reeling under water crisis were forcibly acquired.
Also rubble and construction material was dumped in agriculture fields to construct eight helipads, parking for 1000 vehicles and three huge domes for the event.
This was done when helipads and an international airport were available within 50km distance at Ujjain and Indore respectively. Also toilets using hazardous asbestos sheets were constructing, posing serious health threat, Dubey has claimed.
