NGT asks civic body to properly treat puja waste in 2 weeks

NASHIK: The National Green Tribunal ( NGT) has asked Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council to treat the waste generated during pujas in the temple town in 'fertilizer from garbage' project of the Nashik civic body within two weeks, with an aim to check river pollution.

A bench of Justice V R Kingaonkar and judicial member Dr Ajay Deshpande of NGT, West Zone, Pune, issued the order on October 14 after the Purohit Sangh (association of priests) in Trimbakeshwar failed to comply with the tribunal's order issued last month in this regard.

The order also mentioned that if the association failed to comply with the order, stern action would be taken against the Sangh, including attachment of their property.

Trimbakeshwar Municipal Council's former president Lalita Shinde and some members of NGO Godavari Gatarikaran Virodhi Manch had last year filed a writ petition before the NGT in this connection.

The NGT, in its order issued on September 19 this year, had asked the Purohit Sangh members to collect the bio-degradable material generated from various pujas and shift it to the Nashik Municipal Corporation's fertilizer project at their own cost.

The Sangh had then given a written assurance to the tribunal to comply with its order, but later failed to do so.