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The applicant before the tribunal claimed that Chatra Beel is being encroached upon due to the expansion of the city of Malda, and deliberate encroachments are being permitted.
The Eastern Zone of the National Green Tribunal recently constituted a six-member committee to look after the Chatra Beel, a wetland in Malda district in north Bengal.
The bench of Justice B.Amit Sthalekar (judicial member) and Prof. A. Senthil Vel (expert member) ordered that the committee shall visit the Chatra Beel, inspect the site, and submit its report about the encroachments and suggest remedial measures for the restoration of the said waterbody to its original pristine form, as well as remedial measures to ensure that there is no further encroachment into the water body.
The tribunal further directed the District Magistrate of Malda to ensure that no further encroachment is permitted in Chatra Beel during the pendency of the present proceedings.
One Subhas Datta had filed an application before the tribunal that stated that the Chatra Beel is being encroached upon due to the expansion of the city of Malda, and the town of Malda because of the expansion of the population, and that deliberate encroachments are being permitted in the Chatra Beel, which is being converted into the land.
"Chatra Beel is a natural wetland and a natural water purifier for the water of the northern region of Bengal," Datta had mentioned in the application.
Further, the application pointed out that the area of the waterbody was 407 hectares in 2005, and as of 2020, the area of the waterbody had shrunk to 196 hectares.
The tribunal noted that the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) was a necessary party in the present proceedings since the matter was related to wetlands and therefore directed Adv. Rashmi Singhee to accept notice on behalf of the Ministry.
The tribunal then constituted a committee comprising of Senior Scientist of the West Bengal Pollution Control Board, the Senior Representative of the State Wetland Authority, the Government of West Bengal, the Senior Representative of the Department of Environment, the Senior Representative of the Member Secretary, the Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Department, the District Magistrate, Malda or his nominee not below the rank of Additional District Magistrate (ADM), and the Executive Officer of the English Bazar Municipality or his Senior Representative.
The tribunal listed the matter for further hearing on April 26, 2023.
Case Title: Subhas Datta vs. State of West Bengal & Ors.
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