While gigantic statues have been brought to Mayawatis statue park in Noida,the battle between the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government entered the Centrally Empowered Committee (CEC) of the Supreme Court on Monday. Representatives of Uttar Pradesh government told the CEC during todays hearing that no (state government) officials had been consulted when the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests sent Indian Forest Service officials to check alleged environmental violations at the site. The park is being in Noidas Sector 15A,near the Atta flyover. The ministry team had reported rampant environmental violations at the site. While representatives of the UP government contended that the environment ministrys report was made without the state being consulted or informed,the CEC dismissed this. It said,The officials were asked to find if there were violations,which they did. This is not related to the case. Taking stock of the pace of the project,the CEC also announced that it will carry out an inspection at the site this week. We dont usually give such short notice, CEC member M K Jiwrajka,but we cannot wait two weeks or four weeks,because by that time the work will be done. So we propose a site visit this week. This comes on a day when Mayawati demanded more money for building statue complexes. Earlier,Noida residents had moved the Supreme Court against the statue complex,pleading a stay on construction. The case was then referred to the CEC. Based on various complaints,the Ministry of Environment and Forests had sent a senior official to inspect the site. The subsequent report found environmental violations on two grounds: that a deemed forest,with over 6,000 trees,were cut for the project; and no environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done though the project was within 10 kilometres of the protected Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Though the area was not notified as protected forest,the ministry teams report said it was actually a deemed forest due to the green cover: 6,000 trees over 33 hectares all felled to make way for the statue project. In its reply to the environment ministry,the state government said the area was not a deemed forest. The reply also said the state was not taken into confidence when the ministry ordered the probe. The UP government also said EIA was not required under the Environmental Protection Act in this case since the built-up area of the project is a comparatively small 9,542 square metres (out of total 33-hectare project). Significantly,thousands of trees were planted at the site overnight after the ministrys report was out. Newsline had reported that the state forest department was instructed to procure thousands of saplings and adult trees to be planted at the park.
