Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Procedural delay lags waste issues
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on October 18, 2019, conducted a meeting on enforcement of orders relating to the Municipal Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016
The meeting was the result of grievance of non-compliance of orders due to the time-consuming detailed project report and tender process.
It was agreed that placing the information of standardisation of technologies, cost breakup and identification of service providers on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM) portal would curtail the procedural delay.
More than 4,000 legacy waste dump sites require immediate remediation, which in turn would unlock the land occupied by the waste sites that are “urgently required for setting up of integrated waste management and processing facilities/for afforestation/green belts/bio-diversity parks/buffer zones in accordance with environmental laws,” the NGT said.
The service providers need to be identified and business models explored. For this purpose, the tribunal directed constitution of a committee. It will be headed by a person nominated by the vice-chairman of Niti Aayog to be the chairman and coordinator.
The committee has been directed to hold its first meeting within two weeks and take further action within a month and submit an action taken report to the NGT within two months.
PVC units in Narela
The NGT on October 18 expressed its satisfaction at the report on the action taken against the illegal operation of PVC units in Kamruddiin Nagar village in Narela.
The report was submitted by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), district magistrate, north Delhi and the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC).
It was alleged that even after the sealing of units manufacturing PVC grinders by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) many were still continuing.
‘Three-phase electricity connections’ should be removed to prevent the operation of the illegal PVC units, the report suggested.
Wedding halls in Ghaziabad
The NGT on October 18 directed the concerned authorities to prepare a plan to ensure that marriage halls in Ghaziabad do not flout environmental norms.
It also asked to maintain continuous vigilance in the area.
The tribunal was hearing the case of illegal activities of marriage halls in Ghaziabad running without the requisite consent and violation of environmental norms.
They also violated Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, illegally extracted ground water and lacked requisite permissions under the Water (Prevention And Control Of Pollution) Act, 1974 and the Air (Prevention And Control Of Pollution) Act, 1981, according to a report.
It was filed by a joint committee comprising of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the divisional commissioner, Meerut.
The tribunal had directed assessment and recovery of compensation for damage to the environment and further preventive and remedial action. The authorities took action by sealing the borewells, disconnecting electricity.
Further report filed by the UPPCB has stated that compensation has been assessed and would be recovered.
Polluting chemical and painting work in Bali Nagar
The NGT on October 18 expressed its satisfaction at the remedial action taken by the DPCC in the matter of denting, painting and chemical work, in Bali Nagar in West Delhi.
The work, from red light to Big Apple Chowk in Bali Nagar, was causing air and noise pollution and affecting the health of infants and senior citizens.
The work included the use of petrol and thinner, which emitted a foul smell and added to the PM2.5 level, the NGT was informed.
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