Following a plea seeking ban on the use of charcoal as fuel, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has warned the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change of punitive action against officials if a policy pertaining to the same is not amended by February 28.

Observing that despite previous orders the Ministry had failed to amend the existing policy on the same, a Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said, “Five months have passed but the needful has not been done. More than one year has passed from the date of earlier order. The authorities thus appear to be in violation of order of this tribunal.”

The Bench further added, “As a last opportunity, we grant time for compliance of order dated August 2018 till February 28, 2019 with further direction that coercive measures, including prosecution may have to be taken for non-compliance of the officer responsible.”

The MoEF & CC in an affidavit submitted to the tribunal in December last year had said that the process of framing guidelines will take six months.

However, the Bench said, “No justification has been given. We do not appreciate the stand in the affidavit that it will take six months to comply with the order which was to be complied within four weeks from August 2018, having regard to the urgency of the matter.”

“The stand taken by the MoEF &CC cannot held to be a responsible stand. In spite of being repeatedly asked, learned counsel for the MoEF & CC is unable to give any specific date by which the order of the tribunal will be complied,” the Bench observed.

The directions came following a plea by the Indian Institute of Sustainable Development alleging that illegal felling of trees was taking place due to charcoal being used as fuel in industries.