Down To Earth brings you the top environmental cases heard in the Supreme Court, the high courts and the National Green Tribunal
Maha industry development corp fined
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on September 3, 2019 directed the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corp (MIDC) to deposit a further Rs 5 crore for its failure to contain pollution in Taloja industrial area, on the outskirts of Mumbai. The tribunal said even though the operation of common effluent treatment plant (CETP) was taken over by the MIDC on November 2018, the pollution continued unabated. The untreated industrial effluents were being discharged in a water body causing damage to the eco system and health of the inhabitants.
If the remaining compensation (ordered earlier) and the current amount is not deposited by September 30, “the salary of CEO, MIDC, Deputy CEO (Environment), MIDC and Member Secretary, MPCB be stopped till compliance,” the NGT ordered. A further compliance report has to be filed by the chief executive and the member secretary of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board by October 15. The monitoring committee has been asked to file its final report by the same date.
Western Ghats eco-sensitive zone notification
The Union ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) informed the NGT that all states except Gujarat have responded to the issue of notifying ecologically sensitive zones of the Western Ghats. The NGT gave Gujarat a month to respond after which the ministry has to finalise the issue within two months. Expert opinions can be sought in the period and a report has to be filed by November 15, 2019.
This was in connection to an application filed by the Goa Foundation on the enforcement of order dated August 24, 2018, which directed that the notification of eco-sensitive zone of the Western Ghats has to be finalised within six months. It came up for hearing before the NGT on September 3.
Environmental laboratory monitoring
The NGT on September 3 directed the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to submit a factual report on inadequate monitoring of environmental laboratories, which affects the quality of their reports. It has to be submitted within a month and the issue will be taken up again on November 14.
Ban vehicles depending on the condition
The NGT on September 3 dismissed the application on banning of vehicles depending on the conditions instead of age of vehicles, saying “the remedy against the order of this Tribunal is elsewhere, we are unable to entertain this application.”
Applicant Anurag Saxena said in the application that the order (dated November 26, 2014) in the case of Vardhaman Kaushik Vs Union of India was erroneous.
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