Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, June 1 : The National Green Tribunal (NGT) while expressing its displeasure over the work by the Government in protecting the Doodh Ganga stream from illegal mining and pollution has granted two month’s time to implements its directions.
The (NGT) bench comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Dr A Senthil Vel (Expert member) in its fresh order has expressed its dissatisfaction with the working of J&K Government vis a vis controlling pollution and illegal riverbed mining in Doodh Ganga.
The tribunal directed the Principal Secretary to Housing & Urban Development Department to comply with its directions on the issue with 2 months. The NGT was hearing the plea against failure to prevent illegal mining, discharge of sewage and dumping of solid waste into river Doodh Ganga and Mamath Kull in violation of provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, Supreme Court direction and orders of the Tribunal on the subject.
In its earlier order the NGT had directed that effective and meaningful affidavits be filed in the context of remediation of existing dump sites providing waste processing facilities and preventing discharge of sewage from dewatering pumping stations.
“… no such update has been filed and whatever stated, is only reiteration of earlier reports. We are really dissatisfied with the manner in which the J & K Government has proceeded in this matter. Despite repeated opportunities granted, in the last almost more than two years, substantive progress has not been shown in the matter”, the bench recorded.
It has further been observed there is no dispute that both the rivers (Doodh Ganga & Mamath Kul) are still polluted and no effective steps have been taken either for mitigating or removing the pollution or for preventing the illegal mining in the river bed and flood plain zones of the said rivers.
The Tribunal added that there is no integrated and holistic approach on part of the Government in putting the action plan into action. NGT said that the reports submitted by Government only depicts outlays kept for expenditure, formulation of DPR and aspiring for tendering etc
“According to the need, no short term measures are taken to lift solid waste dumped on the banks of two rivers to the final designated site for processing as per MSW Rules, 2016. With regard to sewage, the authorities have failed to set up decentralized/modular STPs at 13 dewatering pumping stations to arrest discharge of 16.23 mld of sewage”, reads the order
The Principal Secretary H&UDD assured the bench that within one month the work would be executed on ground. The Tribunal asked the Government counsel why they didn’t pay remaining Rs 32 crores compensation money, the officers gave assurance that remaining amount would also be paid very soon.
Pertinently Rs 35 crores penalty was imposed on Government out of which Rs 3 crores were paid by SMC, Director ULB Kashmir and District Mineral Officer Budgam. The money had to be spent on the restoration of Doodh Ganga and sources say only Rs 1 crore was spent on making some protection walls but the payments were not made to the contractors who did that work around 6 months back.
NGT had directed to ensure no liquid waste goes into Doodh Ganga and Mamath kul in areas falling in district Budgam and Srinagar municipal limits and had ordered that Sewerage Treatment Plants-STPs be installed on Doodh Ganga in rural and urban area limits.
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