The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed a joint committee to look into the allegations of waste dumping on the banks of the Baigul River in Udham Singh Nagar district, Uttarakhand.
While responding to a petition on July 6, 2023, the tribunal directed the committee to verify the facts after visiting the site and interacting with the stakeholders.
The committee, consisting of members from the Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board and the district magistrate of Udham Singh Nagar, was directed to submit the report within two months.
Illegal dumping has led to the garbage forming into a 100 feet tall ‘mountain’, from which waste spills over to the road. This polluted the Baigul River and the Kalyani River, which joins it, the petitioner alleged.
Unscientific waste management also resulted in animal deaths and crop loss. The river’s flow has been obstructed, leading to a flood in Rudrapur city.
The municipal commissioner entrusted the waste management contract to an “incompetent contractor”.
Some 500 dumpers are deployed for recycling the waste. Still, the waste is transported to Bilaspur and stored near a primary school, which can adversely affect children, the petitioner said.
The NGT, on July 6, directed a joint committee to verify whether a polythene printing factory is being operated in a residential area at Jagdish Vihar colony in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh.
The tribunal directed the committee comprising members of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the district magistrate, Bareilly, to visit the site, interact with stakeholders and furnish an action-taken report within two months.
The order was in response to a petition that alleged the factory was leading to air pollution. Such pollution levels have the “potential for causing diseases like asthma and cancer.” No action had been taken despite complaints to the authorities, the petitioner added.
The NGT directed a four-member committee to identify the presence of illegal mines in Alakdiha, Dhanbad district, Jharkhand.
The tribunal directed the committee to prepare a report after visiting the site. The tribunal listed the matter for August 7, 2023.
The NGT, on July 4, was responding to a petition that alleged the prevalence of illegal coal mines in the district. Due to the mining operations, a part of a temple has also sunk into the ground.
Moreover, about 1,500-2,000 people, including women and children, are engaged in illegal coal mining in tunnels, which can result in a major tragedy any day.
The NGT, on July 5, directed a joint committee to investigate the allegations of tree felling connected to road widening in Udaipur, Rajasthan.
Widening of the road from Hawala Khurd village to Shilp Gram has led to the felling of trees, a petition alleged. The tribunal directed the committee to file an action-taken report within six weeks.