Page 3 - National Green Tribunal

National Green Tribunal directs sealing of illegal borewells in Noida

The National Green Tribunal has directed the authorities to seal all illegal commercial borewells in Noida. The tribunal has also directed the builders or project proponents to pay interim compensation -- at least 0.5% of their project cost. The green panel was hearing a petition regarding the illegal extraction of groundwater by 40 builders in Noida. The petition alleged that the authorities concerned had failed to prevent illegal commercial extraction of groundwater, resulting in its depletion. A bench of Chairperson AK Goel said the unregulated extraction of groundwater was detrimental to the environment and violated directions of the Supreme Court. The bench, also comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said regulation on groundwater extraction was necessary for conservation and to ensure adequate replenishment. The bench noted that according to the report of a joint committee comprising the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Uttar Pradesh

NGT orders CPCB to close tyre pyrolysis units violating environment norms

The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board to expeditiously close all tyre pyrolysis units (TPUs) functioning without following environment norms. Pyrolysis is the method of recycling old tyres through thermochemical treatment under high temperature to produce industrial oil and other matters. A bench of Chairperson Justice AK Goel said gaps remained with regard to action taken against non-compliant units and units against whom action was taken to close them till compliance. The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Kumar Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, said the gaps required "to be bridged at the earliest in the interest of the rule of law, environment and good governance". The bench said the units were required to follow zero-liquid and zero-emission norms. It added that instead of transporting the carbon produced during the pyrolysis process to landfills, the material could be utilised in the cement industry. "According

Ranthambore music event only after permissions, says Green Tribunal

The National Green Tribunal has directed that a proposed musical event near the eco-sensitive zone be held only after the clearance by a committee.

NGT junks plea to promote 'anti-air pollution device' under 'Make in India'

NGT has refused to hear a plea seeking directions from the Centre to test the efficiency of a device claiming to capture ultra-fine particulates, including PM1 and PM2.5-1

NGT asks solar firm to plant 10-times trees cut by them for Rajasthan plant

NGT has directed a private solar energy company, which has illegally chopped off 250 protected Khejri trees for a proposed solar plant in Jodhpur, to plant 10 times the number of trees cut by them

NGT imposes Rs 18.35 cr fine on HPCL-Visakh Refinery for green violations

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a Rs 18.35 crore fine on Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)-Visakh Refinery over violation of environmental norms

NGT imposes environmental compensation of Rs 2,900 crore on Karnataka

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed environmental compensation of Rs 2,900 crores on the state of Karnataka for allegedly not managing solid as well as liquid waste management

BJP responsible for Rs 900-crore fine slapped by NGT on Delhi govt: AAP

The AAP blamed the BJP on Friday for the imposition of a Rs 900-crore fine by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on the Delhi government for improper management of solid municipal waste and demanded that the civic body polls be held in the city "at the earliest". Addressing a press conference here, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak said the people of the national capital will have to pay the price for the "inefficiency" of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), which is run by the BJP. There was no immediate reaction from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the allegation levelled by the AAP. "We demand that the MCD polls be held at the earliest so that the people of Delhi can oust the BJP from the civic body," Pathak, who is the AAP's MCD poll in-charge, said. The NGT directed the Delhi government on Wednesday to pay Rs 900 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid municipal waste, observing that citizens cannot be faced with an emergency ...

Over 125,000 old vehicles to be deregistered in Noida to control pollution

Over 1.25 lakh old vehicles registered in Gautam Buddh Nagar will be taken off the roads in compliance with a National Green Tribunal order on phasing out diesel and petrol vehicles older than 10 and 15 years, respectively, from the national capital region. The district transport department has started a campaign to phase out such vehicles and begun contacting their owners from October 1 following an Uttar Pradesh government order, officials said. Assistant Regional Transport Officer (ARTO) Siyaram Verma said, "These vehicles will either be scrapped or a no-objection certificate (NOC) issued for their usage so that they could be used in some select districts that do not fall under NCR." Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ganesh Saha told PTI that the police department, on its part, was also carrying out stricter checks and penalising old vehicles found plying on the roads. The Uttar Pradesh government order said there were 34 districts with better air quality where such vehicl

NGT slaps Rs 3,800 cr fine on Telangana govt for waste management failure

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a fine of Rs 3,800 crore on Telangana government for its failure to treat solid and liquid waste

NGT forms panel to check industries dumping hazardous waste in Ganga Canal

The NGT has formed a committee to look into a plea against industrial units at Bhopa Thana in UP's Muzaffarnagar allegedly dumping hazardous waste and coal ash on the banks of the Ganga Canal

NGT directs Telangana govt to pay Rs 3,800 cr for improper waste management

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of Rs 3,800 crore on the Telangana government for its failure to treat solid and liquid waste. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said huge gaps exist in the management of solid and liquid waste in the southern state. The bench, also comprising Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad, said the liability of the state for past violations had to be quantified on the "polluter pays" principle, to be utilised for the restoration of the environment. Providing clean air, water, hygiene and environment have to be the top priorities for good governance, the bench said, adding that the state could not avoid its constitutional responsibility of providing a pollution-free environment. Calculating the total environmental compensation to be paid by Telangana, the bench said the amount for the gap in the treatment of liquid waste or sewage is Rs 3,648 crore, while the compensation for the state's .

NGT red flags football ground, building activity in Periyar Tiger Reserve

The NGT has directed the Centre and Kerala government to file a compliance report within 6 months on the construction of a mega car parking facility and a football ground inside Periyar Tiger Reserve

NGT stalls Odisha govt's Bali Jatra riverfront project in Cuttack

The National Green Tribunal has imposed restrictions on the Odisha government's ambitious Bali Jatra project, for which the Cuttack district administration had reclaimed an area of around 426 acres of the Mahanadi riverbed, environmentalists said on Saturday. As part of the Bali Jatra riverfront or the Barfi project, the district administration had reclaimed the floodplain zone of the river near Jobra barrage in Cuttack city by filling sand and garbage, they claimed. According to them, the move allegedly "reduced the water retaining capacity of the barrage and posed a threat of inundation to at least 38 nearby villages". A five-member special bench, headed by chairperson Justice A K Goel, said it was difficult to accept the state government's plan for construction on the reclaimed land, which has been clearly established to be part of the floodplain zone. "There's the clear anticipated danger of flooding. We're guided by precautionary principle under Section 20 of the NGT Act," the

NGT slaps over Rs 2,000 crore fine on Punjab for failure to treat waste

The National Green Tribunal has imposed a penalty of over Rs 2,000 crore on the Punjab government for its failure to treat solid and liquid waste, leading to a huge gap in their generation and treatment. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice A K Goel said corrective action cannot wait for an indefinite period and health issues be deferred for long. Responsibility of the State is to have a comprehensive plan to control pollution which is its absolute liability, which is not being understood. If there is deficit in budgetary allocations, it is for the state and the state alone to have suitable planning by reducing cost or augmenting resources, the bench said. It said that the compliance of environmental norms on the subject of waste management has to be high on priority. According to the NGT, the total compensation is rounded off at Rs 2,180 crore. Out of this, Punjab government has already deposited with the tribunal Rs 100 croe for its failure to prevent discharge of untreate

NGT slaps UP govt Rs 120 cr fine for river pollution, waste mismanagement

The principal bench of NGT headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel noted the liability of the state for discharge of 55 MLD sewage into rivers at Gorakhpur at Rs 110 crores.

NGT seeks suggestions from Centre, others on rainwater blockage on roads

The green court, in the recently passed order said: "This may require policy, programs, planning, implementation and close monitoring by the administrative authorities

NGT cracks the whip to prevent ecological damage to TN's Western Ghat

The National Green Tribunal, Southern Zone has directed the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board to pass appropriate orders in a matter related to unauthorised brick kilns exploiting the Western Ghat region leading to ecological damage. On its own, the tribunal had initiated action on the issue. Since there was no provision to regulate the activities of such units and to prevent ecological damage, the NGT-SZ had taken congnizance based on a Tamil daily's reportage on April 14, 2021. Subsequently, proceedings were initiated by the state Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) as well as the mining authorities. Following a hearing on the matter, in its order on Tuesday, the tribunal referred to the Board's report on determination of compensation. Environmental compensation was fixed for the brick kiln units in five specific villages as per a Central Pollution Control Board formula. It was to recover compensation for the damages caused to the environment by the brick kiln units under the "Pol

NGT directs Maharashtra govt to pay Rs 12k cr for improper waste management

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Maharashtra government to pay Rs 12,000 crore as environmental compensation for improper management of solid and liquid waste. A bench headed by chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel held that the compensation under Section 15 of the NGT Act was necessary to "remedy" the continuing damage to the environment caused due to the shortcomings in waste management. The bench, also comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Senthil Vel passed the order pursuant to the Supreme Court directions requiring the tribunal to monitor enforcement of solid and liquid waste management norms. The bench said the decision became necessary to "remedy the continuing damage to the environment". It said that fixing liability was "necessary for restoration". "Without fixing quantified liability necessary for restoration, mere passing of orders has not shown any tangible results in the last eight years (for solid waste management) and five years (fo

NGT dismisses plea of Goa's Curlies nightclub challenging demolition

NGT has upheld the GCZMA order to demolish the alleged illegal structure of Curlies, run by Edwin Nunes -- arrested in the Phogat case