India News | NGT Issues Notice to Environment Ministry, Others over Pollution in Kashmir's Sindh Nullah
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the environment ministry and others in a matter regarding the alleged rampant pollution in the Sindh nullah in Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from the environment ministry and others in a matter regarding the alleged rampant pollution in the Sindh nullah in Kashmir's Ganderbal district.
The green body was hearing a matter where it had taken suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a media report claiming that the authorities were indifferent to the growing pollution problem in the waterbody.
The nullah is a major tributary of the Jhelum River and plays an essential role in the region by contributing to irrigation, hydropower generation, and supplying drinking water to Srinagar via the Rangil Water Treatment Plant, the report said.
In a recent order, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member Afroz Ahmad noted that according to the report, Sindh nullah was once a pristine source of fresh water but it had been heavily polluted due to unchecked garbage dumping.
"The news item raises substantial issues relating to compliance with environmental norms," the tribunal said.
It impleaded as parties or respondents authorities, including the Jammu regional office of the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change, member secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board and Jammu and Kashmir Pollution Control Committee, deputy commissioner of Ganderbal, and commissioner of the fisheries department in the union territory.
"Issue notice to the above respondents for filing their response/reply by way of affidavit before the tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing (on December 11)," the green panel said.
"If any respondent directly files the reply without routing it through his advocate then the said respondent will remain virtually present to assist the tribunal," it added.
(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)