Daily Court Digest: Major environment orders (August 4, 2023)

Waste dumping at stadium gate

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) directed a joint committee to look into a petition alleging illegal dumping of municipal solid waste at the main gate of Rajiv Gandhi Sports Stadium located in the Dharuhera industrial area of Haryana.

The tribunal was hearing a petition on August 2, 2023. The municipality has been dumping dry and wet household garbage and the emission of foul odour led to breathing problems in sportspersons and residents of the locality, the petitioner alleged. Though complaints were made to the concerned authorities, no action has been taken so far.

The NGT directed a joint committee comprising the Haryana State Pollution Control Board and the district magistrate, Rewari, to visit the site, verify the factual position and take appropriate remedial action by following the due course of law.

The reports covering steps taken to remove the garbage from the stadium gates and the status of solid waste management need to be submitted within one month, the tribunal said.

Polluted ponds

The NGT directed a joint committee to look into a complaint alleging the degradation of five ponds in Alamgir village, Ludhiana. The tribunal was hearing a petition on August 2, 2023.

The NGT directed the committee comprising members from the environment ministry, Integrated Regional Office at Chandigarh, Punjab State Pollution Control Board and district magistrate, Ludhiana, to visit the site and take appropriate remedial actions.

The committee should enlist steps to identify the encroachers, remove encroachments, rejuvenate the ponds and submit a report within two months, NGT directed.

The applicant cited the condition of a pond near Baba Dera. The villagers have encroached on the pond covering an area of 4 acres, and it is now filled with dirty water, garbage and American grass. Another pond near a government school gets filled with dirty water when a nearby drain overflows. This causes foul odour and health threats.

School authorities cut 174 trees

The NGT asked the director of secondary education, Haryana, to verify whether 174 trees at Government Senior Secondary School Ritoli, Jind, were cut without following the norms.

 The principal of the school got about 174 trees cut and sold in violation of the norms in the name of “preparing playground for the students without any resolution by Gram Panchayat, without constituting committee and without publishing information in the newspapers regarding auction of the trees and caused damage to environment,” a petitioner alleged.

While hearing the petition on August 2, 2023, the tribunal asked the director to look into the grievances of the applicant and take remedial action, including compensatory afforestation within the premises. A factual and action-taken report has to be submitted within two months.

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