New Delhi. The National Green Tribunal has taken action against two municipal bodies of Uttar Pradesh for failing to stop the ongoing pollution in the Yamuna river. Considering this as a gross violation, NGT has imposed a fine of Rs 65 crore on Agra and Mathura Vrindavan Municipal Corporation. The green panel was hearing two petitions regarding pollution of Yamuna in Agra and Mathura-Vrindavan due to discharge of untreated sewage.
A bench comprising Green Tribunal Chairman Justice Prakash Srivastava and Justice Sudhir said, “We have no hesitation in holding that protecting and cleaning the water ecology of the Yamuna River was a statutory and constitutional obligation of the State, but it was not able to fulfill it. It has failed miserably. “Statutory bodies like local bodies in Agra and Mathura-Vrindavan have failed to stop the discharge of polluted material into the Yamuna river and have allowed it to get polluted by releasing huge quantities of polluted sewerage.”
In a 200-page judgment, the bench said that the municipal corporations of both the places and the agencies operating their sewage treatment plants (STPs) have violated the provisions of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act by stopping the discharge. The tribunal said the Agra civic body also violated the Act by operating two STPs set up without the requisite consent.
“There is a gross violation of the provisions of the Water Act on the part of the authorities concerned and they are liable for consequential, preventive, punitive and remedial action,” the tribunal said. The Yamuna river is not polluted by an act of God, rather it is man-made. More so, due to the negligence of the authorities, lack of sincerity, concern and reverence towards the river, they are continuously discharging polluted material through sewage.
It said that based on the “polluter pays principle”, Agra Municipal Corporation is liable to pay environmental compensation of Rs 58.39 crore and Mathura-Vrindavan Municipal Corporation is liable to pay Rs 7.20 crore. The tribunal said that a total amount of Rs 65.59 crore will have to be deposited by the municipal corporations to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) within three months.
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Tags: Agra Municipal Corporation, Mathura news, NGT
FIRST PUBLISHED: April 24, 2024, 22:10 IST