Sikkim: National Green Trubunal (NGT) stays construction of Gangtok Mall

The National Green Tribunal or NGT on Tuesday imposed a stay on the alleged illegal construction of the multilevel car parking-cum-shopping hub, ‘West Point Mall’ in Gangtok till March. A

The National Green Tribunal or NGT on Tuesday imposed a stay on the alleged illegal construction of the multilevel car parking-cum-shopping hub, ‘West Point Mall’ in Gangtok till March.

A bench of Justice B Amit Sthalekar (Judicial Member) and Justice Saibal Dasgupta (Expert Member) passed the directions on a plea alleging that the construction is 14-storeys tall and is a grave threat to the fragile ecology and life of people as the area is prone to earthquakes.

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On the plea filed by Social worker Bina Basnett, the tribunal has sought a reply of the Central Government, Sikkim Government, Gangtok Smart City Development Limited, Department of Mines and Geology, Urban Development and Housing Department.

The response has also been sought from Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority, Sikkim State Pollution Control Board, Deputy Commissioner, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority, Forest and Environment Department, and Gangtok Municipal Corporation.

As per the plea, the under-construction multilevel parking is 14-storeys tall, but as per the April 2021 notification of the Sikkim government, construction cannot be more than five and a half storeys in height.

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