Down To Earth brings you top environmental cases heard in Supreme Court, high courts & National Green Tribunal
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) May 6, 2024 directed the chairman of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) to look into allegations of illegal brick kilns operating in Mathura district.
UPPCB was directed to take action against brick kilns running illegally in violation of environmental norms, without consent to operate and despite closure order. It should file a detailed report a week before the next date of hearing August 20, 2024, the order added.
The brick kilns are operating in a densely populated area (between the National Capital Region and Taj Trapezium Zone) and using hazardous waste like spent organic, solvent, oily residue, pet coke, filter press cake, plastic rubber, leather waste as fuel, affecting the ambient air quality, the counsel for the applicant submitted, referring to a list of the defaulters.
NGT May 6 appreciated the stand taken by the Rajasthan State Pollution Control Board (RSPCB) by imposing environmental compensation on illegal mines in Gahnauli police station area of Bharatpur district.
The tribunal directed the member secretary of RSPCB to take appropriate action in accordance with law and submit the action taken report before the registrar general of the tribunal within three months.
The application was registered suo-motu on the basis of a news item published in Hindi-language daily Amar Ujala February 27, 2024.
As many as six tractor trolleys filled with illegally mined stones have been seized by the Gahnauli police station at Bharatpur, the report noted. The vehicles were coming from Chandauli and there was a complaint about illegal mining for the last few days, accordingt to the news story. The police are making an attempt to find out the owners of the tractor trolleys, it added.
NGT granted four more weeks to the municipal council of Achalpur, Maharashtra to file affidavit in response to a joint committee report on waste management in the area.
The municipal council had requested for additional time to be allowed to file an objection against the joint committee report and to respond with an affidavit. The reason cited was that government officers have been deputed for election duty, because of which the same could not be filed.
The Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board has filed the current status report of the site in question, wherein it was recorded that at present “23,500 tonnes of legacy waste is accumulated at the site in question, out of which 3,500 tonnes have been assured to be cleared by May 2024”. The municipal body intends to enter into an agreement with the private contractors for the remaining volume, it added.
It was also mentioned in the report that Achalpur Municipal Council has proposed a new site with an area of 9.16 hectares for setting up a processing site for solid waste management.
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