GHAZIABAD: The 10.3km elevated road from UP Gate to Raj Nagar Extension, which is ready but can’t be used because it does not have environmental clearance, could get a clearance from the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority ( SEIAA ) this Friday.That day, the SEIAA is likely to take up the file on the Rs 1,250-crore road project that ran into a wall when city-based environmentalist Sushil Raghav moved the National Green Tribunal , alleging a portion of the road was built on land classified as Hindon bird sanctuary, and that at least three of its pillars were on land marked as ‘lake’ in revenue records.The NGT had subsequently asked Ghaziabad Development Authority to get environmental clearance.“SEIAA is due to take up the UP Gate-Rajnagar Extension elevated road project clearance on February 16 when there is one more GDA case related to clearance of a housing project scheduled. We hope SEIAA will take up both cases that day itself,” said VN Singh, chief engineer of GDA.“The consultant who has prepared the report sent to SEIAA has introduced few more points that makes our case stronger,” he added.Singh said the GDA is ready to open the elevated road for traffic in a week from the day clearance is granted. Raghav, however, said it would not be easy for GDA to do so as the case is still in NGT. “The NGT made it amply clear that SEIAA will have to decide on the issue strictly on merit, meaning it will have to follow provisions laid down in the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) notification 2016,” said Raghav. “Provisions of EIA 2016 clearly state environmental clearance will not be granted to projects built on waterbodies or by disturbing the flow of a river. The elevated road is guilty on both counts. It won’t be easy for SEIAA to grant clearance without fully assessing the damage the project has caused to waterbodies and the Hindon river and this is going to take time. It won’t happen in haste as GDA expects,” he added.However, now that the road has been completed, Raghav said, “I am assuming SEIAA will impose hefty financial penalty on GDA.” The NGT is scheduled to hear the case on February 20.The GDA had to approach SEIAA for getting clearance after the Union environment ministry directed the GDA to seek clearance from the state body.

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