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A poor Odisha farmer’s land has degraded due to the discharge of municipal waste by the Belpahar Municipality and the state authorities have failed to take the requisite action, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) observed on May 15, 2025.
The NGT’s Eastern Bench in Kolkata reprimanded the authorities concerned for their inaction and stated that, as a welfare state, the responsible authorities ought to have given special attention to the plight of an extremely poor agriculturist, whose land had been encroached upon by the executive officer of Belpahar Municipality. This encroachment has led to the degradation of the applicant’s land — a fact admitted in multiple affidavits placed on record, the court noted.
The NGT directed the state of Odisha to file an affidavit on the matter within two weeks. The next hearing is scheduled for June 30, 2025.
An affidavit submitted by the district magistrate of Jharsuguda on May 14 2025 stated that a temporary arrangement has been made by the executive officer of Belpahar for the storage of untreated sewage, which is currently being removed regularly using the municipality’s cesspool emptier. A survey conducted by Ecometrix Consultants Pvt Ltd, Bhubaneswar, has proposed a plan for diverting the untreated sewage, with an estimated cost of Rs 16.27 crore, as per a letter submitted by the applicant, Nabin Kisan.
Justice B Amit Sthalekar said the court fails to understand how Kisan, “has any role in the matter of the estimated amount for diversion of the untreated sewage discharge”.
“He is an uneducated, poorest-of-the-poor villager and agriculturist owning a small patch of agricultural land over which the municipality has allowed the discharge of municipal waste without even the consent of the applicant,” Justice Sthalekar said.
The applicant is merely seeking, through his application and several miscellaneous petitions, that the sewage be removed from his land, the land restored and that he be adequately compensated.
The special counsel for the state of Odisha requested two weeks’ time to file a status report outlining the state’s actions towards restoring the applicant’s land and providing compensation for the damage already caused.
The NGT’s Eastern Bench, on May 15, 2025, directed the West Bengal Pollution Control Board to submit an inspection report of Salboni Jheel, along with details of any action taken to restore the waterbody. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation was also instructed to file an affidavit and corresponding action taken report on the matter.
The tribunal further directed the Kolkata Municipal Corporation to demarcate the entire boundary of Salboni Jheel according to revenue records and submit a status report referencing these records.
The Additional Government Advocate for the state of Odisha informed the NGT on May 15, 2025 that the restoration of the Suka-Paika canal is nearing completion and is expected to be finished by June 21, 2025.
The bench, led by Justice Sthalekar, directed the state to submit a current status report regarding the restoration work by the next date of listing, August 28, 2025.
The Suka-Paika canal — also known as the “dead river” and a branch of the Mahanadi in Cuttack district — became defunct after its mouth was closed in the 1950s, restricting its natural flow.