The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has established a panel to inspect brick kilns allegedly operating illegally in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh. The NGT was addressing a petition alleging that several brick kilns in the district were functioning in contravention of environmental regulations.
Illegal Brick Kilns
A bench comprising NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A Senthil Vel acknowledged the arguments presented by the petitioner’s counsel, which indicated that approximately 360 brick kilns were operational in the district, with many of them flouting norms.
“We are of the view that a joint committee should inspect the brick kilns in Mathura district to determine the extent of their non-compliance,” the bench stated in its order.
“Hence, we establish a joint committee comprising the Member Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and a senior officer designated by the District Magistrate (DM), Mathura,” it elaborated.
Investigations
The tribunal instructed the joint committee to conduct inspections of the brick kilns and assess the extent of violations, with a mandate to submit the findings to the member secretary of UPPCB within two months.
“The Member Secretary shall, based on the aforementioned report, afford the brick kilns violating environmental norms an opportunity to present their case, ascertain the degree of violation, and take suitable measures, including actions to recover environmental compensation. A report on the actions taken must be submitted within three months,” the NGT emphasized.
