Green Court seeks response from Centre, local authorities

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday sought response from the Centre on a plea seeking stay on the operation of all industries which are dumping untreated effluents into the Hindon river and its tributaries spreading across West Uttar Pradesh. A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to Ministry of Water Resources, Environment Ministry, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and local authorities of five districts including Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad while seeking their response by May 25.

The Tribunal’s direction came while hearing a plea filed by a Ghaziabad-based NGO seeking directions to take ‘immediate’ steps for removal of all dumped solid waste in Hindon and frame action plan for the rejuvenation and cleaning up of the river. The plea said according to the response from the UP Pollution Control Board to an RTI application, there are as many as 172 industries in Ghaziabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Gautam Buddh Nagar which are disposing their outflow into the Hindon.

“Hindon is a dead river due to the heavy pollution from dumping of untreated industrial wastes, sewage and municipal solid waste dumping as well as run-off from agricultural fields heavily applied with chemicals, into the river Hindon and its tributaries the Krishni and the Kali due to which they have become substantially polluted and toxic. Industries situated in Ghaziabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Gautam Buddh Nagar which are disposing their outflow into the Hindon,” the plea filed by the NGO Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity and environmentalist Manoj Mishra of ‘Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan’ said.

“These mainly deal in fabric dyeing, electroplating, pesticides formulation, ayurvedic medicines, soft drinks, tannery, frozen meat, paper, cattle slaughter house, sugar, dairy, calcium carbonate and distillery. There are also stone-crushing units operating illegally on the river bank for almost a stretch of around 30 km along the Hindon in 

Ghaziabad. These are also draining their effluents into the river which has led to high toxic levels in the water,” the plea said.