Ganga pollution: NGT convenes meeting of stakeholders

NEW DELHI: The National Green has convened a joint meeting of stakeholders on May 1 to discuss a strategy for making Ganga pollution-free and chalk out a workable solution.

"It will be possible for the Tribunal to direct the shutting down of all the polluting industries as all of them are seriously polluting industries. But that will adversely affect the economic development and the lives of a large number of people dependent on it.

"In the interest of justice and in order to find the workable solution, short of closing the industry which will fall within ambit of the sustainable development but at the same time will protect the environment that is the pollution of river Ganga, we direct...to be present in the meeting to be held on May 1, 2015 at 1:00 PM in the Conference Room of the NGT," a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Swatanter Kumar said.

The joint meeting will be attended by Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh government, state environment and irrigation Secretary, Managing Director, UP Jal Nigam, Chairman/ Member Secretary, UP Pollution Control Board, E R Nath, senior scientist of Central Leather Research Institute, Chennai, Mission Director, National Mission for Clean Ganga.

It will also witness presence of representatives from the tannery, sugar, pulp and paper industries.

The tribunal noted that the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board has "granted consent to some of the industries which appears to be illogical particularly in the present scenario".

It also made it clear that if any person fails to attend the meeting "they would not be entitled to claim any benefit of his/their absence and on the contrary we would be compelled to pass coercive orders".

It also asked the counsels appearing for Uttar Pradesh as well as UP Jal Nigam to provide the number of "seriously polluting" industries including tannery, sugar, pulp and paper.

The tribunal on January 20 had warned of complete closure of 700 tanneries located on the banks of Ganga at Kanpur, terming them as one of the "highest sources of pollution".

The green tribunal had also observed that if effective steps to curb the pollution level were not taken then the tanneries would be closed as "life of millions cannot be put at stake".

It had also directed inspection of the entire tannery industrial cluster by a team comprising representatives of Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Ministry of Environment and Forest and National Ganga River Basin Authority.