Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
In a report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT), the Municipal Corporation of Gorakhpur claimed to have made substantial efforts to complete the legacy waste management project at the Ekla Bandha site by December 2023.
As part of the waste remediation, the corporation has installed two trommel machines on the site, added the report uploaded on the NGT website on October 4, 2023.
The project has completed the foundation for a windrow and weighbridge. Currently, the crucial phase of bio-mining is underway, and the trommel machines process waste at a rate of 100 tonnes per hour.
Nearly 35,000 metric tonnes of legacy waste has already been processed, the report added. Furthermore, the corporation is constructing a 500 tonnes per day (TPD) dry and wet waste processing plant in the Suthni village.
The integrated solid waste processing plant project costs Rs 2,840.16 lakh, and approximately 75 per cent of the civil work has already been completed.
In addition, a Bio-CNG plant with a capacity of 200 TPD for processing wet waste is currently under construction, the report claimed.
Under the National Clean Air Program, Rs 2.31 crore has been allocated for constructing a garbage transfer station near Lal Diggi, with a capacity of 200 TPD.
Furthermore, the municipal corporation of Gorakhpur is making strides in construction and demolition waste management by establishing a processing plant with a capacity of 50 TPD in Mahesra.
The corporation has installed a shredding and compressing machine within a material recovery facility capable of handling 5 TPD. Furthermore, there are plans to construct five more material recovery facility plants in various locations throughout Gorakhpur city to boost material recycling and recovery efforts.
On October 4, the Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee submitted a comprehensive update on brick kiln operations in the Budgam district to the NGT.
Of the 226 brick kilns operating in the area, 100 have been granted consent to continue their operations and 11 brick kilns have submitted applications for consent renewal.
Concerns over environmental compliance have led to the issuance of closure orders for 43 brick kilns.
In addition, legal notices have been issued, and actions have been initiated against 72 brick kilns.
Moreover, no new brick kilns in the Budgam district have been granted consent to establish. This decision stands until further directives are received from the NGT.
Notably, all existing brick kilns in Budgam district have been brought under the purview of the consent mechanism, adhering to the conditions outlined by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change.
On October 3, the NGT issued a directive appointing a three-member committee to investigate allegations of pollution attributed to DD Steel and Power Limited, located in the Seraikela Kharsawan district of Jharkhand.
The allegations stated that highly polluting industrial effluents were being discharged directly into the atmosphere, as well as nearby drains and fields, causing harm to the local flora.
The committee has been tasked with conducting an on-site visit to assess the veracity of the allegations outlined in the application. They are expected to submit their comprehensive report within three weeks.
If violations are identified during the investigation, the committee has been authorised to recommend appropriate penalties and environmental compensation. Additionally, they are directed to provide recommendations for any necessary remedial measures.
The NGT’s directive also encompasses the issuance of notices to the following entities: The Central Pollution Control Board, Jharkhand State Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change and DD Steel and Power Limited.
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