Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 28: In a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Advocate Rajinder Singh Jamwal highlighting poor working of State Pollution Control Board (SPCB), Division Bench of State High Court comprising Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice Sanjeev Kumar has rejected the compliance report and appointed Advocate Commissioners.
When the PIL came-up for hearing, Division Bench observed, “in compliance of order dated July 12, 2017 Senior AAG Seema Shekhar has filed compliance report insofar as it pertains to the direction contained in order dated June 5, 2017. However, Senior AAG S S Nanda submits that the directions contained in Paragraph Nos. 9 and 10 have already been complied with by the Commissioner Secretary to Government Housing and Urban Development Department by submitting the compliance report”.
“We decline to accept the submission as the compliance report filed by Seema Shekhar, Senior AAG on behalf of Commissioner Secretary to Government Housing and Urban Development Department pertains to the area of river, which is not covered in respect of the revised proposal as is required to be sent to the Central Government”, the DB said, adding “the directions contained in Paragraph Nos. 9 & 10 of order dated April 27, 2017 pertain to STPs, which are under construction and operational”.
In these circumstances, Division Bench deemed it appropriate to appoint a committee of Advocate Commissioners and one officer from the Pollution Control Board, who shall be an expert in the field, to inspect the site and submit report with regard to the directions issued. The DB requested Senior Advocate Sunil Sethi, Advocate C M Koul and an officer of Pollution Control Board to visit the site and submit report within a period of one week from today.
“The Committee shall visit the site on July 31, 2017 and the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Jammu shall remain present at Bhagwati Nagar”, the DB directed.
Senior AAG Seema Shekhar also submitted that revised proposal with regard to setting up of STPs will be forwarded to the Central Government within a period of four weeks from today. In compliance of order dated June 5, 2017, Seema Shekhar filed Action Taken Report, in which it is stated that in Srinagar out of 19 Pollution Checking Centers, 4 Pollution Checking Centers were found working satisfactorily and remaining Pollution Checking Centers were found closed or not running properly for different reasons.
As far as Jammu is concerned, it has been pointed out that out of 19 Pollution Checking Centers, 10 were found working satisfactorily and in the remaining 9 cases, the operators did not have the prescribed qualification, which is Diploma in Auto/Mechanical Engineering or ITI in Motor Mechanic/Auto Engineering/ Diesel Mech/Tractor Mech. with one year experience as per the Government guidelines. She further submitted that suitable action against the delinquent officials will be taken for making Pollution Checking Centers operational in accordance with law.
Upon this, Division Bench directed status report in this regard shall be filed on the next date of hearing.
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