THE ALLAHABAD High Court has directed the chief authority of Narora Barrage to file personal affidavit stating the discharge of water from this barrage into the Ganga since January 22, 2006 to re-affirm the earlier averments made in the affidavit of the UP Chief Secretary.
While hearing a public interest litigation petition, a Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice AN Ray and Justice Ashok Bhushan, directed the irrigation department to bring the record with regard to Ganga’s latest water level along with the comparative chart of the last two weeks.
Passing this order, while hearing the PIL filed by Hari Chetanji Mahraj, the court fixed February 2 as the next date of hearing.
The petitioner’s counsels controverted the fact that water had been released from Narora as, according to them, no increase in the level of water in Ganga at Allahabad was perceptible.
Appearing on behalf of the State government, Advocate General Virendra Bhatia assured the court that the State government was extremely serious for making Ganga pollution-free. He said no stone would be left unturned within the capacity of the State Government for carrying out the aforesaid objective. He pointed out that various projects pending for consideration before the Centre were the main causes of continued discharge of waste and polluted water in the Ganga.
Besides, the slackness of the Centre in not getting the Japanese International Cooperation Agency project cleared for setting up a treatment plant, was also the main cause of the problem. Besides, he said no discharge of water from Tehri Dam in Uttaranchal also caused problems in meeting the required standard of water.
{{/usCountry}}Besides, the slackness of the Centre in not getting the Japanese International Cooperation Agency project cleared for setting up a treatment plant, was also the main cause of the problem. Besides, he said no discharge of water from Tehri Dam in Uttaranchal also caused problems in meeting the required standard of water.
{{/usCountry}}The AG said that he himself had visited the Magh Mela area on Monday and took stock of the condition of the Ganga water.
Representing the UP Pollution Control Board, Additional Advocate General SMA Kazmi gave details of the genesis of litigation concerning Ganga. He said the involvement of the Centre, Central Pollution Control Board, NRCD and Uttaranchal government were pre-conditions for long-term solution of the problem. He said 450 cusecs of water had been discharged since January 22, 2006 on a day-to-day basis from Narora.