NASHIK: The Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Limited (NMSCDCL) is implementing the Town Planning Scheme or TP scheme in Nashik. As per the norms, it has called for objections and suggestions for the scheme. Accordingly, the president of Namami Goda Foundation, Rajesh Pandit has raised concerns over scheme. Objections have been cited on flood lines i.e Red line and Blue line.
The objections states that the flood lines are defined by the natural entity of the river. They cannot be modified under any circumstance by human agencies. No authority including the Smart City offices can decide to modify or change them.
The letter sent to the Smart City office by Pandit states, “It should be noted with concern that these level of flood in the river Godavari are established based on the previous 25 years. Observing the erratic rainfall and flood patterns, to avoid waste of exchequers money and damage to the ‘proposed development and the ‘occupants’, in the future, it is advisable to adhere to these levels strictly and propose any development.
Disasters should be prevented and not invited”. It has been cited in the statement that the High Court of Mumbai, according to the recommendations of NEERI, has strictly prohibited any kind of constructions in the Red Line and the Blue line of the river. Pandit has requested to revise the TP scheme proposed under Smart City development.
Objections
The proposed TP scheme shows plots planned within the Red line and the Blue line of river Godavari. There is no buffer zone or green zone left for the stream flowing on the Northern boundary of the TP scheme. The green spaces are demarcated as ‘leftover spaces’ after the alignment of the road. The Red line and Blue line demarcation of this stream also needs to be done.
The proposed construction by the Smart City under the TP scheme are highly objectionable. There cannot be any construction in flood lines. No authority can change the stream of the river. No one is above the law. The proposed plan should be stopped at this point only. We have also given them examples of Goda Park, retention wall constructed on banks of river Nandini and other similar orders given by National Green Tribunal and High Court. We are very firm that the Smart City should not intervene in the river flood line.
– Rajesh Pandit, president, Namami Goda Foundation
