Environmentalists demand demolition of illegal changing room near Godavari in Nashik

Time of India

7 days ago

Nashik: Environmentalists on Tuesday asked municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri to ensure the demolition of the vastrantar gruha, a structure used as a changing room by devotees on the banks of the Godavari river near Ramkund.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The demand arose during a meeting of the Nashik Municipal Corporation's committee on Godavari pollution. Environmentalists said the building is illegal as it is constructed within the blue line of the river. They emphasised the need to remove the structure, considering the upcoming Kumbh Mela, as lakhs of sadhus and devotees take a holy dip in Ramkund during the religious conglomerate.
Rajesh Pandit, the petitioner of the PIL on Godavari river pollution in the Bombay high court, said that the vastrantar gruha building is illegal as it was built by the NMC in the blue line of the river.
In fact, no construction is allowed within the blue line of the river. Nishikant Pagare, another petitioner of the PIL on Godavari pollution, also reiterated the same, demanding the demolition of the vastrantar gruha building.
During the meeting, NMC commissioner Manisha Khatri assured them that she would look into the issue.
When contacted, Khatri told TOI that the issue about the demolition of the vastrantar gruha was raised by the environmentalists during the meeting on Godavari river pollution, but no decision has been taken yet.
The vastrantar gruha building was constructed during the Kumbh Mela in 1991-92. Earlier, the issue of vastrantar gruha demolition came up during the Kumbh Mela held in 2015. It comes in the way of sadhus going for the royal bath to Ramkund during the mela. But the structure was not demolished at that time following the protest by Nashik Purohit Sangh, an association of priests performing rituals, and women from various parts of the country.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Later, in 2022, the proposal for the demolition of the structure was tabled at the board meeting of the Nashik Municipal Smart City Development Corporation Ltd (NMSCDCL). The board had set up a three-member committee, comprising the NMC commissioner, district collector, and the smart city CEO, to decide on the issue. But no decision was taken as both the then NMC commissioner and the district collector were transferred thereafter.
Meanwhile, during the meeting on Godavari river pollution, NMC commissioner Khatri also instructed officials to issue notices to all govt offices in the city to ensure they have installed rainwater harvesting systems at their office buildings.