NGT Fines Jharkhand District Magistrates for Incomplete Reports on Ganga Pollution

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has fined four district magistrates in Jharkhand Rs 10,000 each for submitting “incomplete reports” regarding the prevention and control of pollution in the Ganga.

The Matter

The green panel was hearing the issue of pollution abatement in the Ganga and its tributaries, and had requested specific information on the matter from Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.

Previous Hearing

Previously, in February, the panel had imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on Jharkhand due to the absence of any report from district magistrates, who serve as heads of District Ganga Protection Committees.

The Bench

A bench led by National Green Tribunal Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava acknowledged the receipt of compliance reports from Sahibganj, Dumka, Ranchi, Rajmahal, Giridih, Dhanbad, Bokaro, and Ramgarh districts. However, the bench, also comprising Judicial Member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and Expert Member A Senthil Vel, noted that the reports from Sahibganj, Dhanbad, Bokaro, and Ramgarh lacked the required information as directed by the tribunal.

“There is clear non-compliance of the earlier order of the tribunal by these four district magistrates who have submitted their incomplete reports. Hence, we grant further four weeks time to these district magistrates to deposit a cost of Rs 10,000 each,” stated the tribunal.

The bench has scheduled the matter for further proceedings on July 19, 2024.

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