New Chandigarh: Residential project ‘obstructs natural flow of Siswan river’, NGT seeks report from Punjab

“Grievance in this application is that Omaxe Chandigarh Extension Developers Pvt Ltd has set up residential complex project called ‘The Lake’ obstructing the natural flow of river Sisvan by filling up and closing a part of it at Bharoujian village and diverting it to another place near by in Kansala, Sub-Tehsil Majri, District SAS Nagar, Mohali. The applicant has relied upon Google image photographs showing that there was a rivulet in the year 2003 and road has been constructed without making any culvert to maintain natural flow of the river. This has resulted in potential for flooding and flooding has actually taken place,” read the NGT order.

The complaint to NGT was made on September 17 by Harminder Singh, a resident of Bharounjian village, and his brother Manjinder Singh, the owners in possession of the agricultural land at Bharounjian village. The Centre, Punjab government, Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Punjab Housing and Urban Development Department, Punjab Science Technology and Environment Department, Punjab Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board, Mohali deputy commissioner, Omaxe Ltd and Omaxe Chandigarh Extension Developers Pvt Ltd were made parties to the complaint.

Citing images taken from Google Earth from 2003 till 2018, the complainants alleged that the distinct curve taken by the river in the original flow “now does not exist at all and in that area where the river originally flowed the respondent Omaxe has constructed the project/an illegal hot mix plant and a road has come up where instead of making necessary culverts over the natural flow of the river small pipe has been put”.

During a visit to the area on Wednesday, a farmer said that he was doing “contract farming” and had to sow a fodder crop twice as obstruction in the natural flow of Sisvan river swept away the earlier sowing during the recent rainy season. Pointing towards a dug-up channel in the field, the farmer said that the owner was getting the water channel made to connect it to the criss-crossing river at a point so that the water from obstructed Sisvan river does not inundate the farms. “It is being done because I made it clear that if the problem of flooding continued, I will not do contract farming on the land,” said the farmer.

The visit to the site revealed that two pipes each were placed beneath the road separated by some distance. One set of pipes was for the inflow of the criss-crossing river towards residential project site and other pair of pipes was for outflow from beneath the road constructed along the project site. The inflow pipes were largely choked, resulting in the visible obstruction of the river water flow.

Omaxe officials were not available for comment.