[Swarnrekha River Revival] Survey Before Detailed Project Report For Laying Trunk Lines Will Be Completed Within One Month: MP High Court Told

In a public interest litigation filed for the revival of the Swarnrekha River in Gwalior, the company entrusted with the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for laying trunk lines submitted before Madhya Pradesh High Court that it would complete the survey within one month. The company's representative also informed the Court that the project report can be finalised within one month after the completion of the survey.

The Division Bench of Justices Binod Kumar Dwivedi and Anand Pathak has also asked the amicus curaie to submit the report in the interlocutory application which alleges that filth and wastage are still seeping into the river and polluting it. Gwalior Municipal Corporation had already filed a reply in the matter.

“Shri K.N. Gupta and Shri Shailendra Singh Kushwah amici curiae are directed to submit report on or before next date of hearing”, the bench sitting at Gwalior noted in the order.

Currently, efforts are underway to lay down the trunk sewer lines along the Swarn Rekha River from Hanuman Bandh to Jalalpur. Earlier, the court had noted that no trunk line was laid despite the allocation of funds in 2017. A survey of this stretch of 13 km is important for the diversion of sewage line to protect the dedicated area of flow of Swarnrekha River, Gwalior Municipal Corporation had stated earlier before the Division Bench..

Swarnrekha river, according to the court, was earlier the lifeline of Gwalior city starting from Hanuman Bandh and ending in Banmore, District Morena merging into the Sank river.

It was stated that the flow of water in the river had decreased dramatically due to the careless attitude of the local administration and the river had become equivalent to a small stream due to reckless garbage disposal.

Court noted that the falling groundwater levels in the city was also a concern raised during the hearing of this petition. Noting this dilemma, in 2023, the court asked the stakeholders to prepare a detailed road map for the revival of the Swarn Rekha River along with the process of de-concretization of the area and the sewage system in Gwalior Municipality.

On the date of the hearing, Harsh Singh, Commissioner, Nagar Nigam Gwalior, Ms. Neetu Mathur, CEO Smart City Gwalior, Shri Ankit Pandey, DFO and Shri S.K. Verma, Superintending Engineer, WRD, Gwalior marked their presence before the court. Mohmmad Zulkarnain, representative of Rudrabhishek Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (R.E.P.L.), undertaking the process of DPR, was also present in person.

The matter has been listed for taking further steps in pending issues on 4^th April, 2024.

Additional Advocate General Ankur Modi appeared for the state. Deputy Advocate General Praveen Kumar Newaskar appeared for the Central Water Commission. Advocate Deepak Khot made submissions on behalf of Gwalior Municipal Corporation. Advocate Yash Sharma represented the petitioner.

Background

On 06.02.2024, AAG had informed the court that Rs.1.5 crores have been sanctioned by the Government for plantation in 203 hectares of the area along the channel of Swarn Rekha River (200 meters on either side) from Noon Pickup Weir to Hanuman Bandh.

In a bid to preserve the river in Gwalior, the following issues are also pertinent as repeatedly held by the court: i) requirement of an additional Solid Waste Treatment Plant at Kedarpur in addition to the already existing two such plants, given that there are already accumulated garbage of over 6 years and everyday collection of 450 tones garbage from the local limits of Municipal Corporation Gwalior; (ii) the revised proposal (DPR) to Namami Gange for funds to install Sewage Treatment Plant; (iii) number of garbage collection vehicles available as against required vehicles and supporting staff for collection of garbage from households on day to day basis.

The Corporation had submitted last year that tenders had been floated for fencing the dedicated area of free flow of Swarn Rekha River on both sides to prevent the inflow of solid waste.

On various occasions, the court has censured the concerned state authorities for delaying the preparation of DPRs on various topics, hesitating to release funds and ignoring the directions issued.

Case Title: Vishvajeet Ratoniya v. The State Of Madhya Pradesh And Others

Case No: WP No. 19102 of 2019

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