Jaipur: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has imposed a cost of Rs 2 lakh on the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) for failing to file the number of industries functioning without valid consent and is drawing water through the borewell without obtaining No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Central Ground Water Authority.
The order of the NGT, principal bench of Delhi, followed a petition by Devidas Khatri. The SPCB in its reply said the industries are operating by virtue of 'deemed consent' as permissible under rules.
The bench comprising Justice Jawad Rahim and Nagin Nanda then directed the secretary of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to furnish details of the industries which had applied for consent and whose consent applications were kept pending with the board for a period of four months which has enabled the industries to take the benefit of deemed consent.
It also asked whether the SPCB to conduct inspection of the industries which claim to have deemed consent due to default in considering their applications within a period of stipulated in the rules.
It directed that the inspection of those industries with findings of the Board be made available with the relevant material in the form of affidavit at last a week in advance of the next hearing on July 11.
However counsel for the petitioner Rohit Kumar Tuteja said the pollution control board had failed to comply with the directions and the NGT has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh granting a last chance to file reply failing which there will be a peremptory order to increase the cost to 2 lakh. On Nov 1 the Rajasthan government filed an application seeking modification of its order imposing cost but the tribunal refused to revoke the cost imposed but gave another opportunity to comply with its order.
The order of the NGT, principal bench of Delhi, followed a petition by Devidas Khatri. The SPCB in its reply said the industries are operating by virtue of 'deemed consent' as permissible under rules.
The bench comprising Justice Jawad Rahim and Nagin Nanda then directed the secretary of the State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) to furnish details of the industries which had applied for consent and whose consent applications were kept pending with the board for a period of four months which has enabled the industries to take the benefit of deemed consent.
It also asked whether the SPCB to conduct inspection of the industries which claim to have deemed consent due to default in considering their applications within a period of stipulated in the rules.
It directed that the inspection of those industries with findings of the Board be made available with the relevant material in the form of affidavit at last a week in advance of the next hearing on July 11.
However counsel for the petitioner Rohit Kumar Tuteja said the pollution control board had failed to comply with the directions and the NGT has imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh granting a last chance to file reply failing which there will be a peremptory order to increase the cost to 2 lakh. On Nov 1 the Rajasthan government filed an application seeking modification of its order imposing cost but the tribunal refused to revoke the cost imposed but gave another opportunity to comply with its order.
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