NGT forms committee to monitor ISKCON temple in Mathura

The National Green Tribunal has constituted a committee to ensure setting up of a bio-diversity park and groundwater recharge facility by ISKCON at Vrindavan near Mathura, where the organisation is building a 70-story temple.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, in its order said "To avoid passing of responsibilities, we direct constitution of a joint Committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Forest and Environment (MoEF), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

The CPCB will be the nodal agency for compliance and coordination of the joint committee. The tribunal asked the CPCB to submit a report within a month.

The tribunal was hearing a petition by Manikesh Chaturvedi from Mathura, who alleged that construction of 'Vrindavan Chandrodaya Mandir' by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), Bengaluru, in the vicinity of Yamuna would harm the environment.

The tribunal had, on July 31, given a green signal to the construction of the 70-storey temple but directed the trust of the 'Sri Vrindavan Chandra Mandir', to undertake development of at least one bio-diversity park on the land parcel over and above the area which has been earmarked for the project.

The green panel had earlier directed the CPCB to submit a report on setting up of a bio-diversity park by ISKCON in Mathura.

However, the NGT passed the latest order after the CPCB told it that monitoring of the condition of bio-diversity park is to be enforced by the MoEF and the issue of groundwater is to be monitored by the CGWA.

Neither the CGWA nor the MoEF have taken action, the NGT said.