NGT raps Uttarakhand govt over waste dump disposal in Kotdwar

The tribunal sought a further progress report in the matter before January 11 next year. The green panel was hearing a plea filed by Uttarakhand resident Arvind Baniyal seeking action against waste disposal dump yards illegally set up on the banks of the Khoh at Ratanpur, Kashirampur, Gadighat and near Sports Stadium, Kotdwar in Uttarakhand where garbage was being burnt and the river polluted..

The National Green Tribunal Wednesday rapped the Uttarakhand government over disposal of waste dumps along river Khoh in Kotdwar district. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted that a report on behalf of Uttarakhand government stating that some interim measures have been adopted and further action is in progress.

“We do not find the progress to be adequate in terms of the timelines laid down under the statutory Rules. The damage to the environment is continuing, which is a criminal offence,” the bench said. The tribunal said the state's liability to take steps is in no way different from law and order in view of potential of threat to human life and public health.

“While we grant adjournment, it is made clear that if there is no further progress, the State may be liable to pay damages for the inaction, apart from liability to prosecution of the officers responsible for failure,” the bench said. The tribunal sought a further progress report in the matter before January 11 next year.

The green panel was hearing a plea filed by Uttarakhand resident Arvind Baniyal seeking action against waste disposal dump yards illegally set up on the banks of the Khoh at Ratanpur, Kashirampur, Gadighat and near Sports Stadium, Kotdwar in Uttarakhand where garbage was being burnt and the river polluted..