Hindon pollution: UP asks NGT for 2 weeks to reply to complaints

UP seeks two weeks to file a fresh Hindon pollution affidavit; UPPCB lists 13 complaints against officials and says 8 of 20 sewage plants fail standards.

Noida: The Uttar Pradesh government has sought two weeks from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to file a fresh affidavit in the Hindon river pollution case, as the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has placed on record details of 13 complaints registered against officials over the discharge of untreated sewage into the river basin.

The UPPCB has placed on record details of 13 complaints registered over the discharge of untreated sewage into the river (HT Archive)

In an adjournment application dated October 31, the state’s standing counsel informed the tribunal that the chief secretary had directed the state to file an updated affidavit in compliance with its August 17 order, but information from the concerned departments and authorities was still awaited.

“Some important information is awaited from the concerned departments and authorities,” the application stated, seeking two weeks to file a fresh affidavit. It mentions November 2, 2026, as the next date of hearing. The application, however, does not mean the tribunal has granted the adjournment; its acceptance would be subject to the tribunal’s satisfaction.

The request comes after the NGT, in its August 17 order, asked UPPCB to disclose the names and full particulars of officials against whom complaints had been filed, along with the status of those complaints. The tribunal had noted that the board’s earlier submissions did not provide the names of the officials concerned.

In its affidavit dated October 31, UPPCB said it had registered complaints under Section 43 of the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, in connection with the “unauthorised discharge of untreated municipal sewage into the Hindon through city drains”.

The board’s case-status table lists 13 complaints involving municipal bodies and other civic authorities in Ghaziabad, Saharanpur, Shamli, Meerut and Gautam Budh Nagar. The officials named include municipal commissioners, executive officers and other senior civic officials. The cases are at different procedural stages, including summoning, proceedings under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and proceedings under Section 225 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

Separately, UPPCB informed the tribunal that a joint committee of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) and UPPCB inspected 20 sewage treatment plants (STPs) across the Hindon basin. Eight were categorised as non-compliant with standards prescribed under the environment ministry’s October 13, 2017 notification.

The eight plants are located in Saharanpur, Ghaziabad and Muzaffarnagar, according to the affidavit. Samples were collected between September 22 and October 13, 2026, and analysed for parameters including biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen demand, total suspended solids and faecal coliform.

The tribunal has been examining pollution in the river basin, including the discharge of untreated sewage and the functioning of sewage treatment infrastructure. The state’s request for additional time comes as the matter continues to be heard before the NGT.