Approach authorities, give them 15 days to explain stand before filing petition: NGT

The National Green Tribunal has asked the petitioners to approach the authorities concerned with their grievances and give them at least 15 days to explain their stand, before approaching it.

The green panel said such authorities must give their response either to the individual concerned or put the same on their website at the earliest to put an end to the dispute.

The apex environment watchdog made it clear that every applicant who approaches the NGT must indicate in the petition the "specific provision of a statue violated, substantiate questions of environment arising in the matter and the persons accountable for the same particularly, the public authorities".

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said if a person approaches the tribunal, then the responses received should be mentioned in the petition filed before it.

"This procedure may provide quicker remedy to the individuals and also enable the authorities to indicate their stand. This procedure may be normally followed unless an exception is made out at least from August 1, 2018.

"A copy of this order may be sent to Ministry of Environment and Forests for being conveyed to all the statutory authorities in the country by e-mail," the bench, also comprising Justices Jawad Rahim and Raghuvendra S Rathore, said.

The tribunal also directed its Registry to send all communications by SMS or e-mail and seek information of these particulars by all petitioners concerned.

The NGT's direction came while hearing a plea filed by Chhattisgarh resident Shivpal Bhagat and others alleging that authorities in the state have failed to take action against pollution caused by thermal power plants, coal washeries and other industries in Tamnar and Gharghoda blocks of Raigarh district.

Various environmental issues, including matters pertaining to environmental clearance, forest clearance, mining, forest conservation, coastal zone regulation, cutting of trees, illegal constructions, air and water pollution are being heard the National Green Tribunal.

The NGT was established on October 18, 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources.

Its principal bench is in New Delhi while its zonal benches are in Bhopal, Pune, Kolkata and Chennai and its circuit benches are in Shimla, Shillong, Jodhpur and Kochi.

The tribunal has the power to hear all civil cases relating to environmental issues and questions that are linked to the implementation of laws listed in Schedule I of the NGT Act.

The NGT follows a very simple procedure of filing an application seeking compensation for environmental damage or an appeal against an order or decision of the government.

For every application or appeal where no claim for compensation is involved, a fee of Rs 1,000 is to be submitted while in a case where compensation is being claimed, the fee will be one per cent of the amount of compensation subject to a minimum Rs 1,000.