Green tribunal orders restoration of Mithi, Ulhas rivers
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MUMBAI: The Pune bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directed the state pollution board to ensure that rivers Mithi, Waduli, Ulhas and Patalganga are restored to pure forms.
"It has directed the MPCB to submit a plan to the state government and also directed the latter to participate in the effort to restore the rivers," said D Stalin, director, NGO Vanshakti, that has filed a PIL before the NGT
for restoration of Ulhas river. Another NGO Jal Biradari had filed a PIL to restore Mithi river.
The MPCB has been told to deposit money with the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, so that it can monitor pollution levels. "The court has made it clear that if it finds any industry is a threat to the river, it will order its relocation," said Stalin.
Meanwhile, the MMRDA informed the court that the National Environmental Engineering Research Institute had accepted the offer to conduct an environment impact assessment to study whether the blasting of the Mithi river bed can be undertaken.
The NGT sought to know from the MPCB if it had seized the bank guarantees and machineries of defaulting units. It expressed displeasure when it was informed that only eight of the 250 industrial units discharging untreated effluent into Ulhas river had been shut. It directed the MPCB to file a detailed tabular form action taken report and to mention names of defaulting industries in its affidavit. Earlier, the court had asked the MPCB to shut down over 200 industrial units within 30m of Mithi.
The NGT on Wednesday issued bailable warrants for Rs 20,000 each against the municipal commissioner of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation and the president of the Ambernath municipal council
