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An action plan to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage and industrial effluents into the river Ganga has been prepared, but approval from the chief secretary or additional chief secretary for Uttar Pradesh’s Environment, Forest and Climate Change department is still awaited, the counsel representing the state informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on May 23, 2025.
The counsel accordingly sought time to file the approved plan. A letter to this effect has also been circulated. The Tribunal accepted the request and listed the matter for hearing on August 29, 2025.
The applicant, Rajendra Prasad Gupta, had submitted a letter petition raising concerns about the discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater into the Ganga at Varanasi. Supporting the petition, he enclosed photographs showing wastewater discharge and encroachments along the river’s embankments at various locations.
The NGT directed the authorities concerned to file their responses regarding complaints of large-scale illegal felling of green trees in Agra district, Uttar Pradesh on May 23, 2025.
The respondents were instructed to file their replies at least one week prior to the next hearing date, which is August 29, 2025. Respondents include the Zila Panchayat Agra, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), district magistrate Agra, district forest officer Agra, and the Taj Trapezium Zone Authority, among others.
The application cited instances of illegal tree felling in the tehsils of Fatehabad, Sadar, Kiraoli and Agra. Newspaper articles submitted as evidence highlighted unauthorised tree felling in Kiraoli tehsil for the construction of a residential colony. The applicant’s counsel referred to a Supreme Court order from May 2025, which stated that any tree felling within a 5 kilometre aerial radius of the Taj Mahal requires the Court’s permission, which was not sought in this case.
The NGT directed that notices be issued to authorities and a mineral-based company allegedly involved in illegal mining in Leta village, Mahoba district, Uttar Pradesh on May 23, 2025 .
The tribunal stated that the matter involved substantial issues concerning compliance with environmental regulations. Notices were ordered to be served on the controller of explosives, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises and the district collector of Mahoba. The next hearing has been scheduled for September 1, 2025.
In addition to the illegal mining complaint, the applicant, Akhilesh Kumar, raised concerns about the unauthorised sale and use of ammonium nitrate by the miner.
The applicant submitted that gatta (land parcel) number 576 in Leta village, tehsil Kulpahar, Mahoba district, was leased to the miner for a 10-year period starting from May 24, 2001, which has since expired. Despite this, Jai Maa Chandrika Enterprises has sought a licence for a shed to manufacture ammonium nitrate fuel oil.
The applicant also referred to information obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act on March 30, 2024, confirming that araji (property) number 576, covering 4.5 acres, had been sanctioned for a 10-year term from May 24, 2001. Another RTI reply dated April 25, 2024, provided by the directorate general of mines safety, revealed that no formal notice regarding the opening of the mine at gatta number 576 had been submitted to the directorate.