NGT asks all states, UTs to follow guidelines for roadside concretisation

The National Green Tribunal has directed all states and union territories to conform to the guidelines issued by the Uttar Pradesh government to prevent indiscriminate concretisation of roadsides, roadberms and areas around trees till new rules regarding it are framed.
A bench of judicial member Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Afroz Ahmad was hearing the plea against the large-scale concretisation of roadsides and open spaces across Noida and Greater Noida.
In an order dated May 21, the tribunal said, “Concretisation in a larger way increases the impervious layer (of soil), leading to reduction in ground water recharge or no ground water recharge and also results in wastage of run-off. It also affects biodiversity by damaging the ecosystem and ecological complex of the soil.” It said that concretisation created heat islands, reflecting heat back into the atmosphere, thus causing harmful long-wave infrastructural radiation and climate warming.
The tribunal underlined that the UP government had issued orders of in April 2001 and March 2018 regarding the basic guidelines to prevent excessive concretisation while developing urban areas by constructions, such as, roads, footpaths and road berms.
The tribunal noted that the 2001 UP government guidelines said,”In the parks, no permanent construction or permanent pavement should be made on an area beyond five per cent and as far as possible, footpath and tracks should be constructed with permeable or semi-permeable perforated blocks.”
It noted that in 2018, the UP government decided that “stabilised soil, coarse sand and granular sub-base should be prioritised in pathways and stoppable surfaces in parks” and that “construction of outer walls of parks, footpaths, platforms, seating arrangements, etc. should not exceed five per cent of the total available area.” The tribunal further said that the order also issued directions for construction of road edges, specifying that only “perforated blocks/fly ash bricks/stones etc. should be used on both side of roads along with footpath edges up to a maximum of 0.50 meters width and where roads along with footpaths have been proposed, only perforated tiles/fly ash bricks/stones should be used on the footpath”.
According to the 2018 order, where footpaths had been proposed, “arrangements should be made for proper drainage of rain water/storm water through interlocking tiles/paving blocks. The maximum width of footpaths should not exceed 1.50 meters. Roads should have open drains, culverts and other drainage facilities,” the tribunal noted.
In its exhaustive 80-page order, the tribunal said, “The guidelines issued by the UP government cover substantial aspects and conform to the basic guidelines of the states/UTs, till different guidelines are issued by any state/UT concerned.”
“We are issuing these directions pan-India, and a copy of this order shall be communicated to all the chief secretaries of states and UTs and state pollution control boards/pollution control committees for necessary action and compliance,” the tribunal added.
Advocate Akash Vashishtha, who appeared for the petitioners, told PTI, “The tribunal has accepted most of our contentions and has found merit in the submissions, especially the grave environmental hazards posed by indiscriminate concretisation.”
“We also pleaded that several cities in the US and Europe were deconcretising their roadsides and open surfaces, realising that concretisation was a big mistake, and they are now on the course of correction. The urban heat island effect caused by it can be curbed only by way of a massive deconcretisation exercise,” Vashishtha said.
The advocate said the tribunal after disposing of the plea gave liberty to the applicants that in case they find that without any valid justification, unjustified concretisation is still continuing in Noida and Greater Noida, the same may be pointed out to the authorities concerned which shall take “needful steps for remediation.”