Varanasi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday extended the ban imposed on the tent city established across the Ganga for the first time in 2022 year till November 30. According to sources, the Varanasi administration expected that after the hearing, the process of setting up a tent city in Varanasi would start before Dev Diwali.
The petitioner's advocate Saurabh Tiwari said that during the hearing in the NGT, the officers of the Varanasi Development Authority and Pollution Board were reprimanded. The NGT has also asked the lawyer of the Varanasi Development Authority under which rule the authority had got permission to set up a tent city on the banks of the Ganga.
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The NGT has also strongly reprimanded the Regional Pollution Officer of Varanasi. The Additional Chief Secretary has also been directed by the NGT to take action against the official. The next hearing of the case has been fixed to November 30.
Earlier, a joint committee, including many experts, was formed by the NGT to investigate the matter. The committee members then submitted their report to NGT. Based on the reports, NGT has taken further action. At the same time, during the hearing in this case, the Vice-Chairman of Varanasi Development Authority, Abhishek Goyal has been transferred and Pulkit Garg has joined Varanasi Development Authority on Monday as the new Vice-Chairman.
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