[dropcap]T[/dropcap]HE National Green Tribunal (NGT) reprimanded the Meerut Nagar Nigam and asked it to pay Rs 25 lakh in damages for failing to perform its statutory duties and causing damage to the environment and public health after an official inspection report submitted to the tribunal said that solid waste was being dumped along the banks of the river Kaali in violation of all environmental norms.
“The dump site is operated in violation of conditions of environmental clearance… Solid waste was being dumped in unscientific and unhygienic manner and a foul smell was observed. The Nagar Nigam, Meerut has failed to submit report in terms of solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. Consent to establish has not been taken under the Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981 and the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, nor authorization has been taken under the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016,” the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) said in its inspection report submitted before the NGT.
Directing that the Nigam take immediate remedial steps, a panel headed by Chairperson Justice A K Goel, Judicial Members Justices S P Wangdi and K Ramakrishnan and Expert Member, Dr Nagin Ananda warned that if they did not comply within one month, the tribunal would have no other option but to direct the prosecution of the Commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Meerut and take other steps, including a civil imprisonment, in execution of the order.
The NGT panel was hearing a petition by a Naveen Kumar who alleged that 22 people had died and 200 others had taken ill because of unscientific dumping of solid waste in village Ganwri on the bank of the river Kaali.
The NGT asked the Commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Meerut to be present in person along with a compliance report on the next date of hearing on September 16, 2019.
Read the NGT order here:
[pdfviewer]https://cdn.theleaflet.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/05194128/NGT-Kaali-river.pdf[/pdfviewer]
