Observing that pollution of Panchganga river was a serious matter and immediate steps have to be taken, the Bombay High Court today appointed the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (Neeri) to look into the matter and suggest corrective measures.
A division bench of Justices S J Vazifdar and G S Patel was hearing a public interest litigation filed by social worker Dattatray Mane and four others from Ichalkaranji district seeking stringent criminal action against the officials of municipal councils of Ichalkaranji and Kolhapur for discharging untreated sewage into Panchganga river.
The court was today informed that the sewage treatment plant project initiated by the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) would be completed by March 2014.
"Considering the seriousness of the matter, corrective steps have to be taken today itself. We direct the NEERI to conduct a site visit, look into the issue and suggest measures to tackle the issue. Both the municipal councils of Ichalkaranji and Kolhapur shall provide any information sought by NEERI," the court directed.
NEERI shall also see if the sewage treatment plant project of the Kolhapur civic body will be able to tackle the problem as per the provisions and requirements laid down by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
The court said the cost of the NEERI visit would be borne by the Ichalkaranji and Kolhapur corporations.
The court has posted the matter on December 20 by when NEERI would have to submit by when it would be able to complete the work and submit a report.
According to the petition, pollution in Panchganga river purportedly resulted in massive jaundice outbreak in May last year in Ichalkaranji and the surrounding towns, infecting 5,354 persons with the Hepatitis virus and leading to 24 deaths.
The PIL has stated that the KMC discharges about 100 million litres of sewage, most of the untreated, per day into the Panchganga river.
The PIL alleges that similarly untreated discharge from hundreds of cloth bleaching units in Ichalkaranji and 8 major industries, including some sugar factories and sewage from 174 villages finds its way into the same river.
The petitioners allege that despite finding these anomalies no action is initiated by MPCB against the officials and office bearers of the two civic bodies.
