A joint committee constituted by the National Green Tribunal (Southern Zone-Chennai) on Tuesday began a probe into the activities of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) and the Gas Authority of India Limited (GAIL) in the Godavari basin to prepare a report on the alleged air, water and groundwater pollution in East and West Godavari districts.
On September 8, the NGT heard the case filed by the petitioner, Yenumula Venkatapathi Raju from East Godavari district, and constituted the committee to study the ground reality.
“On Tuesday, a joint committee appointed by the NGT has begun the field-level inquiry into the case in which the ONGC and the GAIL are the respondents. The district officials drawn from various departments are also part of the committee,” East Godavari Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy told The Hindu.
“The NGT committees will inquiry into the four issues in East Godavari district between December 8 and 10, ONGC-GAIL marine pollution case, aquaculture ponds in the Coastal Regulatory Zone violation case (Razole area), sand reaches case and the Department of Ports land case,” he said.
The committees would also inquiry into the cases of Kakinada housing site and destruction of Kumbabhisekham mudflat by the GMR group on the Kakinada coast. “The district officials are part of all the NGT committees,” said Mr. Muralidhar Reddy.
The officials from the AP Pollution Control Board and Forest Department have been included in the field inquiry.