The principal bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in New Delhi has issued a notice to pharmaceutical manufacturer Morepen Laboratory Limited following allegations of environmental violations at its facility in Himachal Pradesh.
The principal bench of NGT, comprising chairperson justice Prakash Shrivastava, and Dr Afroz Ahmad (expert member), took cognisance after hearing the original application filed by a local, Lekh Singh, a release issued here said.
The application accuses the company’s manufacturing plant at Tiron village in Kasauli tehsil of Solan district of operating generator sets and machinery that produce noise pollution well beyond legally permissible limits. To support these claims, the petitioner submitted an official noise monitoring report to the tribunal.
Beyond noise compliance failures, the complaint alleges that the pharmaceutical unit is discharging untreated effluents into the local ecosystem in violation of statutory standards. The applicant has also accused the company of unlawfully diverting local irrigation water to sustain its industrial operations, threatening agriculture in the region.
The matter moved to the tribunal after a previous civil lawsuit filed before the civil judge in Kasauli was dismissed. The local court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction, stating that the appropriate legal remedy for such environmental grievances lies strictly with the NGT.
{{/usCountry}}The matter moved to the tribunal after a previous civil lawsuit filed before the civil judge in Kasauli was dismissed. The local court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction, stating that the appropriate legal remedy for such environmental grievances lies strictly with the NGT.
{{/usCountry}}Upon reviewing the submissions, the NGT bench granted Morepen Laboratory Limited four weeks to file a formal response to the allegations.
The tribunal has scheduled the next hearing for September 10.