The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked Noida Authority CEO Lokesh M and former deputy general manager Shripal Bhatti to appear before it and respond to allegations that officials misrepresented facts to claim they had removed concrete tiles from green areas in the city.
A two-judge bench of judicial member Sudhir Aggarwal and expert member Afroz Ahmad said the Authority had secured an order in its favour by showing misleading pictures that concrete tiles were removed. But environmentalist Vikrant Tongad — the petitioner in the case — argued that although the pictures showed tiles were removed, only 5-10 of them were uprooted on the ground while the remaining were left untouched.
The tribunal was hearing a petition regarding the installation of concrete tiles along green areas, which — Tongad argued — was against environmental norms and a 2018 govt order.
Avdesh Choudhary, who represented the Authority at the tribunal, expressed regret at the pictures and claimed there had been some mistake.
The tribunal, however, refused to accept the argument.
“We are not inclined to accept such regret inasmuch as by making a false statement before the tribunal in opposing the stay application filed by the applicant, respondent 3 has been able to obtain a judicial order in its favour. What we find from the record is that not only has concretisation on the roadside been done, but it has also not been removed at several places, and that is the situation as it stands on this day also,” the Oct 17 order read.
It then summoned the Authority CEO and deputy GM to submit their explanation.
“Let the chief executive officer, Noida, and Shripal Bhatti, deputy general manager (work circle) Noida, appear personally before the tribunal on the next date to show cause as to why they should not be prosecuted in accordance with the law for making a false statement before the tribunal, obtaining a judicial order in their favour, and for misrepresentation,” the NGT said.
It then scheduled the next hearing for Nov 8.
