The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a penalty of Rs 45 crore on the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for filling up a pond and encroaching on two nullahs at Kiranj village in Nuh and for illegal construction and cutting of trees at Hajipur village in Gurugram, for constructing a stretch of the Delhi-Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway through Haryana.
The NGT ruled that NHAI used ‘Gochar’ land in Hajipur village for the construction which was illegal. “Even the acquisition of land by NHAI per se will not result in change of the user of the land since the village community will continue to have its common rights protected with regard to the grazing of cattles and a mere change of ownership will not demolish the right of common villagers/village community,” said the NGT.
