‘NDA gave nod to Akshardham’
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit on Saturday said that the NDA government had given clearance for Akshardham temple. She, however, tried to keep controversy at bay by saying she was not sure of the context in which Union environment minister Jairam Ramesh had commented on clearances for Akshardham temple and Commonwealth Games Village on the Yamuna river bed.
Mr Ramesh had said on Friday that the Akshardham temple and the Games Village should not have got environmental clearances as they were on the Yamuna river bed.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function here, Ms Dikshit said: “I do not know in what context Ramesh spoke. However, the decision to give the clearance was taken by the then NDA government and the permission was given by the authorities.”
Meanwhile, a large number of environmentalists, particularly those dealing with Yamuna and ground water issues in the capital, have expressed pleasant surprise at the fact that the Union minister finally accepted that the existence of these structures on the river bed was against environmental norms.
“Now that the minister has accepted it, let him come up with rules and laws to prevent a repeat,” said Manoj Misra of Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan, the organisation which had gone on a Satyagrah seeking stay on the construction of the Games Village.
“The government must do to protect whatever is left of the river bed,” said Mr Misra.
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Najafgarh too may get Metro link
AGE CORRESPONDENT
NEW DELHI
Jan. 8: Union urban development minister S. Jaipal Reddy on Saturday said that the demand of the people of Najafgarh to have Metro connectivity will be looked into. Mr Reddy, who laid the foundation stone of a project involving covering of the Dabri drain, gave the assurance while speaking at the function.
According to west Delhi MP Mahabal Mishra, the minister said that the demand of the people to connect Metro from Kakrola to Najafgarh and, thereby, provide the modern transportation mode to the people from rural areas in Delhi would be looked into as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is planning to go ahead with its third phase.
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