The National Green Tribunal has directed the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh to ensure remedial action, including fixing the responsibility on erring officers, in a matter pertaining to pollution of river Ganga in Balia district.
The NGT was hearing a petition claiming the discharge of sewage and solid waste into the Katahal drain connected to the Ganga.
Underlining that around 20 million litres per day (MLD) of untreated sewage through the drain was being discharged daily into the river, a bench of chairperson Justice AK Goel said, “We record our dissatisfaction with the failure of the state administration, particularly the failure to hold erring officers accountable for wastage of public money and preventing damage to river Ganga.”
The bench, also comprising judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert members A Senthil Vel and Afroz Ahmad said, “Chief Secretary in coordination with other authorities concerned in the state may ensure remedial action in the present case also for which a special meeting of concerned officers be convened preferably within one month to plan and execute remedial measures, including fixing of responsibility of erring officers.”
The bench noted an action taken report filed pursuant to the tribunal’s earlier order showed “almost total inaction" of the state authorities except for raising huge demands of money as a pretext for avoiding basic responsibility.
It said the funds allocated earlier were not utilised, nor was any attempt made to collect funds locally and accountability was not fixed on erring officials.
There was a need to involve higher officers “to fix accountability for the continuing failure of (other) officers involved who appear prima facie to have abused the funds at the cost of public interest,” the bench said.
Noting the finding of a panel constituted earlier regarding the discharge of sewage through six drains, the tribunal said there is no information about the performance of in-situ remediation claimed at these six locations.
It said the panel’s report had shown an increase in the river’s biochemical oxygen demand (BOD)and total coliform (TC) content after the drain’s confluence with river Ganga, thus indicating the damage to its water quality.
Directing that an action taken report be filed within four months, the green panel listed the matter for further proceedings on August 23.
According to the application, the contract for the proposed sewage project for the drain was given to a private company, but despite spending a huge amount, the sewage network was not set up during the last 13 years, resulting in the sewage and waste of the city "continuously" flowing into river Ganga.
