Environment ministry showing total non-cooperation to National Green Tribunal: SC

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it got an impression from the approach of the ministry of environment and forests that it did not want the most important environment forum – National Green Tribunal – to become fully functional.

A bench of Justices G S Singhvi and V Gopala Gowda gave a week to additional solicitor general Rakesh Khanna to address shortage of staff and infrastructure faced by various benches of NGT and warned that if the facilities were not provided by September 3, it would withdraw all its earlier orders aimed at making NGT work to its statutory potential.

Referring to a recent letter written by an environment ministry official to the NGT chairperson asking the tribunal to make its own arrangements for accommodation and staff, the bench said, "This communication is indicative of total non-cooperative attitude of MoEF. It gives an impression that the department is making all out efforts to see that NGT does not function efficiently."

After dictating the order, the bench told Khanna, "If the excuse (of MoEF) remains the same next Tuesday, we will authorize all high courts to entertain cases (relating to environment issues which has been exclusively vested with the NGT)."