NGT seeks report on plea against "ineffective" mechanism of giving approval to industries

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Uttar Pradesh pollution control board to submit a report on a plea against "ineffective" mechanism by which it gives or renews consent to operate to industries in over-exploited, critical and semi-critical areas.

A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel asked the state pollution control board to submit the report before March 13.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by journalist Shailesh Singh contending that UPPCB, while granting the consent to operate under the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, has imposed a specific condition on the industries to provide the NOC to extract ground water from the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA).

"In some cases, the UPPCB has provided specific time period, like two months or three months, to the industries for complying with the specific condition (to provide the NOC to extract ground water from CGWA) but, however, in some cases the board has not even bothered to provide any fixed time period to comply with the specific condition," the plea said.

The petition alleged that the UPPCB has never bothered to ensure that the specific condition of the consent to operate issued under the Water Act has been complied by the industries, even in Over-exploited, Critical and Semi-critical (OCS) areas