New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has directed a petitioner to approach the Delhi Chief Secretary-headed monitoring committee regarding a plea against the operation of 46 alleged ‘red’ category industries in the national capital.
The NGT Principal bench headed by Chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel was dealing with the plea, in which it was contended that the purported industries were operating in violation of the judgement of the Supreme Court.
The petitioner Delhi Pollution Control Society alleged that a number of polluting industries are illegally operating in the city in residential areas. They include electroplating, chrome, nickel, and copper production generating large amounts of wastewater in the process of washing plants and equipment, cooling, etc.
On April 8, the Tribunal permitted an amendment for impleading necessary parties and accordingly, the petitioner added 46 names of the alleged red category industries.
However, in the order passed on April 29, the green court said that the names of the parties sought to be impleaded show that the said industries are related to bakeries, ice cream, and medical facilities and not the category described by the applicant as ‘red’ category.
It also noted that in the plea, the applicant itself has described the said industries to be ‘green’ or ‘+orange’ category. Thus, the stand of the applicant is self-contradictory, it said.
Further, the tribunal pointed out that earlier it had constituted a fact-finding committee and directed compliance with the order of the Supreme Court.
The monitoring committee comprised the Chief Secretary of Delhi, Commissioner of Police, Commissioner of Municipal Corporation, and Vice-Chairman of the Delhi Development Authority.
Thus, the remedy of the applicant is to first approach the monitoring committee, showing that activities of the industries in question against whom action is sought are impermissible, the green court said in the order.
–IANS