Authorities to protect public health and not just enjoy position, perks:NGT on discharge in Yamuna

The National Green Tribunal has rapped the authorities in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh over-discharge of polluted water in the Yamuna river saying they are meant to protect the public health and environment and not just enjoy positions and perks.

The green panel said many industries are discharging untreated sewage with impunity as if law of the land does not exist and crime is free.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said not a single person is shown to have been prosecuted in spite of categorical observations in the reports of the statutory regulators. There is no dearth of statutory powers of NOIDA Authority, District Magistrates, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), UP and State Pollution Control Board as well as UP Police, the tribunal said adding that surprisingly the counsel for NOIDA stated that NOIDA is helpless as it has no power. ''There is, thus, a clear failure of the constitutional obligation of the said authorities, rendering the heads of such institutions personally accountable for such failure for the punishable crime,'' the tribunal said.

''The said authorities have failed to realize that they are occupying the position of high trust and are meant to protect the public health and environment and not to just enjoy position and perks at the cost of miseries of the innocent citizens,” the bench said.

The NGT said the authorities have continued to be mute spectators of serious crimes against humanity. The green panel said sufferers are helpless citizens whose constitutional right to clean environment remains on paper and warned the higher authorities of the State to remedy the situation by taking action in the interest of protection of the environment and public health.

There is no meaningful action of registering criminal cases and arresting concerned violators, blacklisting the entities, withdrawing statutory consents, recovering compensation for restoration measures, the tribunal said.

The NGT directed the Additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Environment, UP, Secretary, Urban Development, UP, CEO of NOIDA Authority, District Magistrate NOIDA, Vice Chairman, GDA, Police Commissioner, NOIDA, IG, Meerut and Chief Secretary, Delhi and Special Commissioner of Police, East Delhi to hold an in-house meeting in coordination with concerned departments within fifteen days to take stock of the situation and plan remedial action. It said action should include accountability of the erring officers, preventing discharge of pollution in the drain, coercive measures against violators - housing societies or others by registering criminal cases, initiating prosecution, assessment, and recovery of compensation for the past violations, a black listing of the concerned entities such as construction companies, in the exercise of their statutory powers, following due process of law. ''The Tribunal expects a meaningful improvement in the situation to prevent serious violations affecting the right to life, which violations have been continuing for long, without any meaningful action. In Delhi, the claim of the sealing of dairies needs to be verified with reference to the destination of effluents,'' the NGT said.

Delhi Jal Board needs to confirm that due to interceptions of drains, no sewage or any other effluent is discharged into drain entering Noida, it said.

The Irrigation canal near Sector 137 in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district which is coming from Delhi (Kondli) and joining river Yamuna after crossing from Khoda village and NOIDA, continues to be polluted due to sewage disposal, the NGT said.

Noida has to explain Sewage Management status for the area including the sewage generated by the Societies, the tribunal said.

It also directed the Central Pollution Control Board to file a separate report on standards applicable to discharge in drains/canals and whether standards of freshwater/ flood water apply to such situations in the light of the Water Act. The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Noida resident Abhisht Kusum Gupta against disposing of sewer waste in the irrigation canal near Sector 137 in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)