India: NGT monitoring panel remains strict on directives

KANPUR: In the meeting of the National Green Tribunal monitoring Committee held at Circuit House here, the department officials concerned failed to answer properly the pertinent questions put up by the panel’s chairman Justice (Retd) Arun Tandon. Directing the officers of the Jal Nigam and Nagar Nigam, he asked them to first study five-hundred-page NGT orders within five days. It remained his strict instruction. He was quite at unease at complete ignorance of the tribunal directives in regard to Ganga cleaning issued on July 13, 2017.

On rate fixing of a solution of chromium compound that is used in tanning, he told the Nagar Nigam executive engineer RK Singh to fix chrome liquor rate. Those nullahs which could not be tapped before Kumbh Mela were required to treat the polluted river water through the bio-remediation process at the cost of rupees three crores. Bacteria level has not been controlled in Ganga. He instructed the Jal Nigam and Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to prepare a list of nullahs falling into the river.

Further, the Kanpur Development Authority authorities were also directed to develop a bio-diversity park on 25-acre land with the support of the forest department. District Forest Officer A Kumar said the cost of construction will be borne by the KDA while the plants will be protected by the forest department.

Various officers including monitoring committee member Dr Anita Roy, UPPCB’s T U Khan & Kuldip Mishra were present at the meeting.