NGT forms panel to find factual position about pollution in river Ganga at Prayagraj

NGT forms panel to find factual position about pollution in river Ganga at Prayagraj

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) was hearing a petition according to which the 'Magh Mela' was organised till March 8 this year in Prayagraj but around 50 drains were discharging polluted water for about eight kilometres from the Rasulabad locality to the 'Sangam' (the confluence of rivers Ganga and Yamuna).

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It also claimed that around 10 sewage treatment plants (STPs) were not functioning properly and because of the pollution, the river's colour became "blackish".

A bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said the plea raised "a substantial issue relating to compliance with environmental norms".

The bench also comprising judicial members Justices Sudhir Agarwal and Arun Kumar Tyagi, and expert member Afroz Ahmad noted that the larger issue regarding river Ganga's pollution and the issue of sewage discharge in rivers Yamuna and Ganga was being considered by the tribunal.

As the plea was regarding the ongoing 'Magh Mela', the bench said that it was constituting a joint committee to look into the matter.

The panel will comprise the member secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and the district magistrate of Prayagraj, it said.

It directed the panel to submit an action-taken report within two months.