Expert panel's report on ground water use poor & vague: National Green Tribunal

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal found the report of an expert panel, set up to address the issue of illegal use of ground water, "poor and vague" even on the second attempt and directed it to file the complete report by February 4, 2014.

The counsel for National Capital Territory of Delhi ( NCTD) contended that its officers just returned from election duty and added that the panel was "handicapped" as "there is no government in Delhi", while seeking more time to file to finish the report.

"The irony of it is that even on a second attempt, the report is poor and vague," a bench comprising judicial members justices UD Salvi and MS Nambiar said after perusing the report placed before it.

The bench made the observation after noting that on the last hearing on November 12, the committee appointed by it had stated that complete efforts would be made to comply with the tribunal's September 3 order and a comprehensive scheme to check illegal use of ground water would be formulated, and on that assurance six weeks time had been granted to it.

"Today we have before us an action taken report (ATR) which shows that only yesterday a meeting was called to mobilise a door-to-door survey of borewells (BWs)/tubewells (TWs) in South West district of Delhi," it said.

The counsel sought time to furnish a more comprehensive report as well as to finish its survey and formulate a scheme to regulate BWs/TWs and impose cess on ground water use.

While observing that the tribunal would have been happy if the data already available with the various authorities regarding number of (illegal and legal) BWs/TWs in Delhi could have been taken into consideration for effectively enforcing its directions, the bench granted time till February 4, 2014, for the panel to submit its complete ATR.

The NGT on September 3 had directed the panel to collate data of all illegal as well as permissible tubewells operating in NCT Delhi and to ensure that cases of illegal extraction of ground water are prosecuted and water meters fixed on TWs for measuring consumption of underground water.