NGT tears into Kerala govt for gross neglect of Ramsar sites

Thiruvananthapuram: The National Green Tribunal has strongly disapproved the conduct of additional chief secretary (environment), Kerala, V Venu while considering a petition on the state government's failure to conserve Ashtamudi wetland and Vembanad-kole wetland, both of which are Ramsar sites.
The NGT principal bench, comprising Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel, was scathing in its order issued on January 6, where they said they were inclined to issue a bailable warrant owing to the ACS' conduct.

The tribunal had in August 2022 directed setting up a monitoring committee headed by the ACS (environment), and said that a monitoring plan and restoration plan may be prepared for Ashtamudi Wetland and Vembanad-kol wetland. Besides calling for environmental compensation from violators, it also directed the ACS to remain present on the next date of hearing the action taken report.
During the hearing on January 4, the bench expressed its disapproval of the ACS for not being present despite a clear directive in the previous order. No appropriate reason was also placed and the report was short of effective compliance of tribunal's order, the order said.
Chief Secretary V P Joy said that he was unaware of the NGT order and said he will look into it. Suneel Pamidi, director, environment and climate change, said that the government has received two months' time to file the report and claimed he is not the right person to comment regarding the remarks of NGT. PCB officials who did not want to be quoted said that some of the ongoing activities were not included in the report which was submitted to NGT and it may have led to the censure. ``The ongoing activities will be included and a detailed report will be submitted in March," a top PCB official said.
The bench also observed that there was no mention about the monitoring and restoration plans while minutes of the meeting of the monitoring committee were not uploaded on the pollution control board website. "We strongly disapprove this approach and conduct on the part of the Additional Chief Secretary, Environment Department, Kerala and the manner in which the order of this Tribunal has been violated and disobeyed cannot be accepted,” the order said.