New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI)The National Green Tribunal has formed a committee to assess the ground situation and take remedial action regarding the pollution of a rivulet in Uttar Pradesh connected to the Rapti River.

The Rapti river is a part of the Ganga river basin.

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The tribunal was hearing petitions which claimed two sugar mills in Balrampur district of the state were discharging untreated industrial effluents into a stormwater drain which was then released into the Suwaon Nala, a rain-fed rivulet, connected to the Rapti River.

“We direct a joint Committee of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), state pollution control board (PCB) and District Magistrate, Balrampur, with the state PCB acting as the nodal agency, to ascertain the factual position and take remedial action in accordance with the law,” a bench headed by Chairperson Justice AK Goel said in an order passed on December 23.

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The bench, also comprising Judicial Members Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, directed the filing of an action taken report within two months.

“The report may cover compliance of both the industries with reference to the consent conditions, particularly zero liquid discharge (ZLD) condition and consented mode of disposal of effluents,” the green panel said.

The tribunal also ordered a copy of the order to be sent to the project proponents (the two sugar mills) for their response.

The matter has been posted for further proceedings on March 24.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)