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Villagers in Rajasthan oppose a proposed sewage treatment plant near homes and religious sites; NGT orders a joint inspection.
NGT seeks report on illegal coal mining collapse in Madhya Pradesh that killed two workers.
Compensatory plantation drive in Agra reports 190 saplings planted after illegal tree cutting case.
A two-member joint committee was directed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 28, 2025, to examine a complaint filed by villagers of Chaturbhuj, tehsil Kotputli, district Kotputli–Behror, Rajasthan, against the setting up of a proposed sewage treatment plant (STP) close to their homes.
The NGT’s central bench directed the formation of a joint committee comprising one representative each from the District Collector, Kotputli–Behror, and the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board. The committee was asked to visit the site, interact with stakeholders, and assess the environmental and public health impacts of the proposed STP. A report is to be submitted within four weeks.
Notices were also issued to the chief secretary, Rajasthan; director, urban development and self government department, Rajasthan; and the principal secretary to government, urban development and self government department, among others. They have been asked to file their replies within four weeks.
The letter petition was filed by Satyanarayan Sharma and three others from village Chaturbhuj, requesting that the proposed STP be shifted from its current location. The applicants said the plant would be just 50-100 metres away from an ancient religious site, an educational institution, a gaushala, a temple, and the village’s borewell water supply.
They alleged that the Nagar Parishad Kotputli was setting up the STP in violation of environmental norms, despite an alternative non-agricultural site being available just 1,600 metres away. The Nagar Parishad reportedly claimed the site could not be shifted as it lay within a floodplain, although villagers argued that no water flow existed in the area.
A site inspection by the regional officer of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) found that the proposed land belonged to a government school and was located near populated areas. The report also noted that about 200 trees had been planted on the site by villagers under the Chief Minister’s scheme.
The NGT observed that consent from the SPCB is mandatory for an STP under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, as it handles polluted matter and must be sited at a reasonable distance from habitation. While acknowledging that STPs can emit odours unless adequate safeguards are installed, the tribunal also noted that, in the absence of STPs, untreated sewage could cause more severe water and environmental pollution.
The NGT, on October 29, 2025, directed notices to the state of Madhya Pradesh, the Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board, and the sub-divisional magistrate, Chhindwara, following a mining collapse in Moari open-cast mine, Junardev, Chhindwara district, which led to two deaths.
The tribunal also ordered the formation of a two-member joint committee with representatives from the district collector, Chhindwara, and the Madhya Pradesh State Pollution Control Board to visit the site and submit a factual and action-taken report.
The case was taken up suo motu based on a September 29, 2025, news report by Bhaskar that highlighted the fatal incident, the court order stated. During illegal coal extraction in the closed Moari open-cast mine, the mine collapsed, killing two people and injuring one. Locals reportedly extract 4-5 sacks of coal daily and sell them for about Rs 100 per sack, a practice that has continued for nearly five years.
Similar fatal incidents have been reported at least four times earlier. The application alleged that coal mafias engage labourers for illegal extraction, despite routine patrols by police and colliery officials. Improper closure and lack of scientific reclamation of abandoned open-cast mines have made such sites highly unsafe, turning them into hubs for illegal and hazardous mining activities, the plea stated.
The district forest officer, Agra, submitted a report on October 29, 2025, in compliance with an NGT order dated October 16, 2025, detailing the utilisation of funds deposited for compensatory plantation.
According to the report, the range forest officer, Kirawali, informed that a plantation drive was conducted in September 2025 using Rs 1,25,000 deposited for compensatory afforestation. A total of 190 saplings of seven species — Paras Peepal, Neem, Arjun, Papdi, Kanjhi, Balamkheera, and Shisham — were planted in the Runakta forest block under the Kirawali range, covering 0.175 hectares.
Additionally, Rs 2,00,000 collected as a fine for a forest offence was deposited in the government treasury, Agra. The case relates to the illegal felling of trees in village Achhnera Dehat, tehsil Kirawali.