NGT seeks details of industries in Ghaziabad, Hapur

The National Green Tribunal has sought a detailed list of various industries of Ghaziabad and Hapur districts on a plea alleging that incessant extraction of groundwater has led to severe depletion of water table in the area.

A bench of Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore ordered the respective District Industries Corporations (DIC) to submit the the lists by the next date of hearing on April 25, failing which, it warned, heavy costs would imposed on them.

"Last opportunity is granted to respondent no 10 (DIC) to file the list of industries in Ghaziabad and Hapur. It is made clear that in case such list is not filed before the next date, the cost of Rs 5,000 per day thereafter shall be saddled on respondent no 10, till it is submitted," the bench said.

The NGT sought the lists of various industries in two districts on a plea by Ghaziabad resident Sushil Raghav and NGO Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity seeking closure of all industrial units extracting groundwater illegally in the notified areas of Ghaziabad and Hapur.

The bench passed the order after petitioners' counsel Rahul Chaudhary and Meera Gopal submitted to it that many illegal borewells were operating in the two districts.

"The illegal withdrawal of groundwater has resulted in serious depletion of groundwater in Ghaziabad and Hapur as a result of which numerous hand pumps, tube wells have dried up across these districts.

"The illegal extraction of groundwater is in violation of the provisions of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 as well as the guidelines issued by CGWA in 2012 and the latest guidelines as notified in 2015,"the plea had said.

It sought a direction for closure of all water-intensive industries using ground water as raw material in over-exploited areas of Ghaziabad (Bhojpur, Loni, Muradnagar and Rajapur blocks) and Hapur (Garh, Hapur and Simbhaoli blocks).