The NGT also directed for compensatory afforestation over an equivalent area on non-forest land.
Former president of NGT Bar Association (western zone), Asim Sarode, welcomed the decision of the chairperson of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to entertain e-mails from people seeking environmental justice. In order to rule on cases related to the environment, it was necessary to go through voluminous documents and scan huge maps, said Sarode. Face-to-face courtroom arguments were more effective to decide any case on the basis of its merits, he said.
“It is a welcome step to entertain e-mails from people seeking environmental justice, but to take decisions on the case on merits needs face-to-face arguments. So, the required strength of judical members, a minimum of 21 and maximum of 41, for NGT is needed for the tribunal to be effectively functional. Unfortunately, at this moment, NGT is functional with only six members,” Sarode said.
He said NGT Chairperson, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, had recently announced at a national conference on Innovations in Pollution Regulations that NGT would entertain e-mails from people seeking environmental justice.
According to Sarode, the NGT chairperson said soon people from remote parts of India would be able to send complaints through e-mails to NGT and seek justice. The tribunal will soon introduce online facilities that will enable people to send an e-mail from mobile handset or laptop from anywhere in the country. Directions will be issued on the basis of such complaints.
“It is unfortunate that Justice Goel took over as the NGT chairperson in July and even then the four regional benches in Pune, Bhopal, Chennai and Kolkata are closed. In the interest of environment and to reaffirm the credibility of NGT as a specified judicial forum, the temporary arrangement of video conferencing has been implemented and it should not to be considered as permanent,” said Sarode.