UP wants ban on construction

of ghats lifted, HC for experts

The court has fixed October 17 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

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By: Express News Service | Allahabad | Published: September 12, 2014 10:24:46 am
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The Allahabad High Court Thursday asked the state government to consult experts from various
fields, including ecology and heritage, and present before it a detailed affidavit on the issue of
construction of four new ghats along River Ganga in Varanasi. The court has fixed October 17 as
the next date of hearing in the matter.
A division bench of Chief Justices D Y Chandrachud and Dilip Gupta passed the directions
while hearing an application filed by the Additional Advocate General C B Yadav, on the state’s
behalf, seeking modification on the court’s 2012 order, which banned any new construction
within 200m from the area covered by Ganga waters during its highest flood level (HFL) ever
recorded.
That order was passed on a PIL filed by Kautilya Society, pointing to a large number of illegal
constructions that had come up along the river posing risk to the ecology and overall heritage
nature of the Varanasi ghats. The PIL is still being heard by the court, as various other issues
related to beautification and conservation of the river has been raised through it. Yadav’s
application was part of the same hearing.
The state’s argument is it had already proposed construction of four new ghats along the river —
Madan Mohan Malviya Ghat, Raj Narayan Ghat, Ramnagar Ghat and Ram Manohar Lohia Ghat.
Barring Ramnagar, the rest of the ghats would have come up on the right end of Assi Ghat,
which is on the right side of the nearly seven-km-long stretch of the world famous Varanasi
ghats. The government added it had also released Rs 80 crore funds for the purpose. But due to
the ban, Yadav’s application said, the funds were unutilised.
“The court has asked us to consult all agencies and stakeholders in the matter to ensure that no
damage is done to the heritage character of the ghats and also to the ecological balance,” Yadav
said.
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