Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Housing projects in Haryana flouting environmental norms: NGT
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on February 14, 2020 directed Haryana’s chief secretary to urgently review the mechanism for monitoring compliances of environmental norms by group housing projects in the state.
"Safeguards may include requirement to furnish guarantees, including personal guarantees by the directors of the project proponents, so that the state machinery is not helpless to remedy the situation after the project is complete and the project proponent has left, leaving the authorities and the inhabitants without any adequate safeguards," the order said.
The order came in the wake of allegations of disposal of untreated sewage in the open by Sare Homes Society at Gurgaon, Haryana, causing health hazard in the area. A report filed by the Haryana State Pollution Control Board stated that sewage treatment plant of the project was not properly working and polluting discharge was being released illegally.
Medical waste management
The NGT on February 14 disposed of an application against allegations of illegal activities in the disposal of infected bio-medical waste, discharge of untreated hazardous effluents and causing air pollution by M/s Synergy Waste Management Pvt Ltd, in Barabanki, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The development came in the wake of the report filed by the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, which stated that remedial action had been taken and environmental compensation recovered for the past damage.
Illegal construction in Shimla
The NGT on February 14 gave one last opportunity to the deputy commissioner of Himachal Pradesh’s Shimla and the director, Town and County Planning Department to submit a report on the alleged illegal construction of a six-storied building at Ghanahatti Planning Area.
Groundwater extraction in Amritsar
The NGT on February 14 directed the Punjab Pollution Control Board, Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and Amritsar’s district magistrate to probe on the absence of adequate safeguards for preventing extraction of ground water in Amritsar for commercial purposes, including construction of buildings, in violation of norms laid down by CGWA.
According to the applicant, illegal extraction of ground was taking place on a large scale without any safeguards.
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