In a case related to pollution of the Ganga, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) was informed that the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified 764 grossly polluting industries in five states on the main stem of the river and its tributaries. The information was provided to the tribunal through a joint affidavit filed by the Union Environment Ministry and the National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA).
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has given an ultimatum of three weeks to the Assam government to file its reply on the Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Power (LSHEP) dam. Earlier, the tribunal had asked all respondents in the case - state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, ministry of environment and forests (MoEF), ministry of power, NHPC - to file their responses by March 3. However, the state government sought for more time again.
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT), Southern Bench restrained the management of Indian Institute of Technology-Madras from felling trees and carrying out construction activities until further orders. Admitting an application filed by E. Seshan, an environmental activist, the Bench, comprising its judicial member Justice M. Chockalingam and expert member Prof. R. Nagandren, said, "In view of the seriousness of the issue, the Tribunal feels that an immediate intervention is warranted."
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National Green Tribunal bench has asked civic body not to ignore media reports about dismal condition of lakes and its conservation work in a bid to improve their status. Also, a special inspection team comprising a NGT nominee, petitioner, lake conservation in charge and EPCO scientist will visit various point sources of pollution of Shahpura Lake to take stock of situation. Taking cognizance of a report published in TOI regarding Shahpura Lake on March 2- 'Ganga+Yamuna funds Touch Lake splurge', central zone bench of tribunal observed current media reports were still critical.
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National Green Tribunal today ordered suspension of work in textile dying and printing units in Pali district that were operating without Consent to Operate from the Rajasthan Pollution Control Board. The Jodhpur bench of the NGT has also sought a compliance report of its order on May 2, the next date for the hearing.
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The National Green Tribunal has cancelled the clearance given by the environment minister to Parsa East and Kante-Basan captive coal blocks in Hasdeo Arand forests of Chhattisgarh, overruling the statutory Forest Advisory Committee. The then Union environment and forests minister Jairam Ramesh gave the forest clearance in June 2011, overriding the advice of the ministry's expert panel on the two blocks for mining by a joint venture between Adani and Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Utpadan Nigam Limited.
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Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh defended his decision to overrule the statutory and expert panel on forest clearances to give the nod to coal blocks in Hasdeo-Arand forests of Chattisgarh to the Adani joint venture company. The National Green Tribunal had made scathing comments against Mr Ramesh's role as the then Union Environment Minister in 2011 for clearing the coal blocks. The tribunal had cancelled the forest clearances and asked the government to take a relook at the projects.
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) rejected the plea of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to lift the conditions slapped on the Numaligarh Refinery Ltd (NRL) on diverting the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) stretch of the NH-37 to North Bank of the Brahmaputra.
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The Supreme Court has stayed its 2012 earlier order directing transfer of all environment cases to the National Green Tribunal since its formation in 2010. The SC said the directions in the Bhopal gas leak case require reconsideration. In August 2012, the SC, in a 1998 petition filed by the Bhopal Gas Peedit Mahila Udyog Sangathan case, had directed that all matters covered under the National Green Tribunal Act after it came into force shall stand transferred and can be instituted only before such green tribunal.
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The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) and the ministry of power yet again failed to file their replies before the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on NHPC's Lower Subansiri Hydro Electric Power (LSHEP) dam project. In the last hearing, the tribunal asked all respondents - state governments of Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, MoEF, ministry of power and NHPC to file their replies by the next date of hearing, but both the ministries sought more time again. The tribunal directed both the parties to file their responses by April 1.
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National Green Tribunal (NGT) served notices to Union and state government agencies over untreated sewage water for irrigation of vegetables and fisheries in many parts of state, in Bhopal. Central zone bench of NGT comprising Justice Dalip Singh and expert member PS Rao pulled up MoEF, CPCB, state government, farmer welfare, water resource department, fisheries and urban administration to explain why there is neither any sewage water management policy nor policy measures to encourage reuse of treated sewage.
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Certain top hospitals and government installations have been found guilty of letting precious rainwater go down the drain, while allowing toxic waste into rainwater tanks. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) issued notices, directing them to explain why they should not pay a fine of Rs. 10-20 lakh for such callous lapses. Rainwater harvesting for groundwater recharge is mandatory for all public buildings.
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After receiving flak from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) for clearing three cases of coal mining in Chhattisgarh as environment minister in 2011, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh defended his decision saying after being criticised for "not clearing projects", he was now being attacked for clearing them.
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Mining of river sand may be resumed for six months in Kerala after obtaining the quantity of sand collected from each ghat last year. District Collectors have been asked to furnish the data in the absence of current audit report as mandated by the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act 2011. The Act also stipulates that the Revenue Department shall carryout sand audit once in three years. However, no serious efforts have gone into this aspect, officials say.
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The Supreme Court appointed panel's recommendation of capping iron ore production in Goa to 20-27.5 million tonne (mt) per year. Almost half of Goa's peak iron ore output of 56 mt, is much lower than industry's expectations. Top miners including Sesa Sterlite are likely to be hit if the apex court goes ahead with the panel's recommendations.
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The rhino casualty figure in Assam continued to rise, with poachers killing a one-horned pachyderm at the Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary, about 50 km from Guwahati on 26 March 2014. This is the thirteenth rhino in the state, and the first in Pobitora, to be killed by poachers this year.
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The Union Ministry of Forests and Environment (MoEF) informed the Supreme Court on 28 March 2014, that the environmental clearance had been already given to the controversial high-rise Camelot project of the Tata Housing Development Company, near Chandigarh's Sukhna Lake.
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The new firm that the civic body wants to appoint for the processing of bio-medical waste generated in the city does not have the "capacity" to do so, revealed a report prepared by the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) after the Pune bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT) on March 14 directed the pollution watchdog to assess the potential of the Ichalkaranji-based firm.
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) asked the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) to come up with an alternative solution to underwater rock blasting for deepening the Mithi River within four weeks. The MMRDA was asked to look for alternatives after National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) submitted a report in the tribunal recommending that rock-blasting operation should be discontinued due to its impact on biodiversity and ecosystem of the river.
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The Centre has sought response from the Odisha government on grant of iron ore licence to South Korean steel giant Posco for its Rs 52,000 crore steel project involving the largest ever FDI in India. The development comes in the wake of a high-level panel formed to address issues impeding mega projects in the steel sector, reviewing the stalled projects this month.
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National Green Tribunal (NGT), Bhopal bench, has served notices to the state government for violation of environmental laws in issuance of lease for sand mining in Betul and Hoshangabad districts. District-level environment committee gave the nod for the lease. Major and minor mining leases have been allotted in 10 km periphery of Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, a UNESCO site, which is also against environmental norms, a petition filed with the NGT alleged.
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Alarmed by the dust and pollution from the Okhla waste-to-energy plant, environmental activist Gopal Krishna has registered a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission. In his complaint, he has quoted letters from around 100 doctors regarding the public health crisis caused by the emissions. "Prior to this, the Delhi high court and parliamentary standing committee on urban development has ruled against such hazardous incinerator or combustion technologies. Such plants pose a grave threat to the health and environment of residential areas of Narela, Bawana and Ghazipur.
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The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Pune has instructed the thermal power station here to give the first 20% of the fly ash for free to brick kiln manufacturers last week, while hearing the application filed by Nashik Fly Ash Bricks Association. The tribunal also directed that the brick kiln manufacturing units should be situated 100km from the power station.
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The Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) today directed the Director of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) to remain present before it on the next date of hearing. April 15 is fixed as the next date for hearing the case on Kaziranga (MA No 687 of 2013, MA No 1070 of 2013 and MA No 142 of 2014 in the Original Application No 174 of 2013, Rohit Choudhury Vs Union of India and Others).
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As all the political outfits are trying their best to garner public support for 2014 general elections, the water activists are also gearing up to push their demand of 'right to water security' for inclusion in their election manifesto. The Congress has released its election manifesto while other parties are yet to come up with their poll agenda.
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Residents of Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla, have written to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) against Jindal's Timarpur-Okhla waste management incinerator stating that the plant is yet again spewing toxic ash.
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