By IANS,
Lucknow: Magsaysay awardee and noted environmentalist Rajendra Singh Friday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of violating court directives on obtaining green certification before going ahead with the Ganga Expressway project.
“Despite the High Court directions to the state government that it should not go ahead with the ambitious project without obtaining a fresh environmental clearance, the government is carrying out land acquisition for the project,” Singh told reporters here.
“I recently toured Rae Bareli and Pratapgarh district and notices the government ignoring the Court directives was busy with the land acquisition drive,” he added.
Singh demanded the state government at the earliest must stall the project as per the directions of the High Court. “If the government continues to ignore the court directions, we will carry out rallies against the government in all the districts, where from the upcoming Ganga Expressway will pass.”
The court last month had quashed the earlier environmental clearance of the project and directed the state government to get the fresh clearance following necessary provisions laid under section (3) of the Environmental Protection Act.
The Mayawati cabinet in January 2008 had approved the Rs.40,000-crore (Rs.400 billion), 1,047-km long Ganga Expressway, which would link Noida to Ballia, passing through 19 districts along the banks of the river.