NGT: Better river flow mgmt required to prevent fish kills
(NGT) has stated that preventing future fish kills requires better management of river flow, strict industrial waste regulation and control of any kind of pollution from industrial sources.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Disposing of a batch of petitions, including three suo motu cases filed by the principal bench and the southern bench on the mass fish kill that occurred downstream of the Periyar River on May 21-22, 2024, it directed the Kerala state pollution control board (KSPCB) to submit all the detailed reports filed before the bench to the Kerala High Court.
"Since the High Court of Kerala is already seized of the matter, which addresses the same issues involved in the Original Applications (OA) pending before us, it would be appropriate to leave it to the decision of the HC to pass appropriate orders," the bench said.
The PCB, in its report to the NGT, stated that a HC-appointed committee of officials, comprising (i) the secretary, Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, (ii) the regional director, Central Pollution Control Board, Bangalore, and (iii) the chairman, PCB, along with the amicus curiae, visited all the affected places and the petitioners and submitted a report.
The committee's report before the NGT recommended curbing the Periyar pollution in two folds.
One set of recommendations was directed to the departments concerned, namely the industries department, irrigation department and PCB. Remediation of Kuzhikandam Thodu has to be initiated as per the detailed project report (DPR) prepared and recommended for administrative sanction, the bench said.
The NGT noted that the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (Kufos), which is a party respondent in all the above petitions, constituted an expert committee to prepare a report on the fish kill incident in the Periyar River and downstream of Pathalam regulator bridge.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The expert committee also provided a report with recommendations, including an AI-assisted system for displaying and alerting stakeholders downstream before opening the shutters.
These are also to be submitted before the HC along with all the other reports filed in the case.
The tribunal stated that since the HC is already seized of the matter and further orders are awaited, based on the recommendations given by the committee to the industries situated in the Eloor–Edayar Industrial area and the various departments, the bench was disposing of the petitions.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
3 hours ago
- The Hindu
Bathroom to courtroom: Man attends virtual hearing from toilet, Gujarat HC orders contempt proceedings
The Gujarat High Court has initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against a man for attending a virtual hearing while sitting on a toilet seat. The incident occurred on June 20 when Justice Nirzar S. Desai was hearing a case. A video of it soon went viral on social media platforms. A division bench of Justices A.S. Supehia and R.T. Vachhani passed an order on June 30 directing the HC registry to "register a suo motu contempt proceedings against the person who is seen in the video". In its 'oral order' which was uploaded on July 3, the HC bench directed the Registrar of Information and Technology to inform the Court "about the mechanism to stop contumacious litigants in participating in the live streaming proceedings, since it is also noticed by us that such disorderly and uncontrolled behaviour has become frequent". "Registry shall issue the notice to the contemnor as to why he should not be prosecuted and punished for committing Contempt of Court as defined under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. A suo motu proceeding shall be listed after a period of two weeks," the bench said in the order. "The infamous video tarnishing the image of this court is widely circulated in social media and it requires to be immediately banned and deleted," the bench further said. Answering nature's call during proceedings In the video, a man wearing a yellow t-shirt can be seen logging in using a mobile phone, with the name on the screen identifying him as 'Samad Battery'. Shockingly, the video shows he had been sitting on a toilet seat and answering nature's call while he attended the proceedings through video link. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the Gujarat High Court has allowed both lawyers and litigants to join through the virtual mode, and the proceedings of each hearing are broadcast live via the court's YouTube channel. The one minute-long video showed that the man, later identified as Abdul Samad, had kept the mobile phone on the floor of the toilet with the camera facing him. After finishing his business in the toilet, he picked up the phone and left. Justice Desai apparently did not notice his actions or the surroundings. The same person, wearing wireless earphones, can be seen logging in again later in the livestream, sitting in a room and waiting for his turn. After nearly 10 minutes, Justice Desai asked his name and he identified himself as Abdul Samad, a resident of Kim village of Surat and the complainant in a case of assault. His lawyers informed the court that Mr. Samad had recently lodged a complaint of assault against two persons in Kim, but both the parties have arrived at a compromise. Hearing the petition filed by the two accused seeking to quash the First Information Report, Justice Desai asked Samad if he consented to it. He told the court he had no objection, following which Justice Desai granted the accused's plea.
New Indian Express
5 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Disbursal of land compensation starts for railway project in Odisha
MALKANGIRI: The long-awaited 128 km Jeypore-Malkangiri railway project gained momentum with disbursement of Rs 2.45 crore to 39 people towards land acquisition across Mathili panchayat, including four from Khairput block on Friday. Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi distributed the compensation in presence of Malkangiri MLA Narasinga Madkami and collector Asish Iswar Patil. Beneficiaries received Rs 10 lakh per acre as compensation. Majhi said, the 108 km project stretches 80 km across Malkangiri district, affecting 42 villages - 15 in Mathili, 14 in Malkangiri, and 13 in Khairput blocks. 'A total of 1,946 acre of land would be acquired for the project of which 714 acre are private land and 231 acre are government lands. Once the total land acquisition process is complete by December this year, the project work is likely to commence by January 2026. A total of Rs 476 crore will be required for compensation to 844 beneficiaries across the district,' he said. While the project was sanctioned in 2016 with DPR approved in 2018, progress stalled from 2019-2024. Land acquisition expedited only after the double engine government came to power last year, he added. Talking to the TNIE, collector Patil said, the railways deposited Rs 150 crore with the district administration for compensating 844 beneficiaries across the district affected due to the project. The disbursement will complete within six months and the compensatory afforestation for 1,000 acres forest land is at final stage.
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
HC orders demolition of illegal 5-building complex in Uran, SC grants interim stay
Mumbai: Observing that there was 'overwhelming evidence of material suppression, misleading actions, and apparent collusion' between property developers in Uran and officers of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco), the Bombay high court recently ordered the Navi Mumbai planning authority to demolish an illegally constructed complex of five buildings in the Chanje village in Uran taluka in four weeks. HC orders demolition of illegal 5-building complex in Uran, SC grants interim stay The village, about 15 minutes away from the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Authority, has had improved connectivity with Mumbai since the inauguration of the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, otherwise known as Atal Setu, last year. 'We find this to be yet another case where the authorities have been complicit in promoting and tolerating illegal and unauthorised constructions, despite being consistently alerted through written complaints from citizens,' a division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Kamal Khata observed in their June 20 order. However, the respondents in the case—land owner Vivek Deshmukh and the developer, Vinayak Developers—approached the Supreme Court, which on June 27 granted an interim stay on the high court's order until it hears the case further. 'We make it clear that no eviction operation shall be carried out without the leave of this court,' the apex court said. The petition was filed in the high court by Uran residents Meenanath Patil and Vijay Jadhav, who contended that the developers had started construction on the plot in 2013 after obtaining a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Chanje gram panchayat, while being well aware that they could not have built on the land without Cidco's approval. In December 2013, the petitioners filed three complaints against the allegedly illegal construction before the Chanaje gram panchayat, stating that the construction obstructed access to their homes and a water well. These were followed by complaints to the Uran panchayat samiti and Raigad district collector. In 2014, Cidco inspected the site of the allegedly illegal construction and issued a notice to the developer for the removal of the unauthorised construction under sections of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. In January 2016, the planning authority also filed an FIR against the developers for the unauthorised construction. The petitioners' lawyer, Abhinandan Vagyani, told the court that Cidco also issued a similar notice to the developer in September 2024. 'By this time, an entire complex of five buildings had already been constructed illegally…' Vagyani said, adding that the notice was a mere formality. 'This is a classic case where the authorities have not just neglected their statutory obligations but have, by their conduct, actively permitted the perpetuation of illegal constructions…,' he told the court. Cidco's lawyer then drew the court's attention to an affidavit filed by its Controller of Unauthorized Constructions department, which stated that the planning authority had inspected the site in August 2024. 'Cidco officials found residents occupying illegally and unauthorisedly constructed buildings,' the affidavit said. A month later, the residents were issued notices under the MRTP Act, the lawyer said. The court was also informed that the regularisation application filed by the developers was rejected by Cidco on January 27 this year. The high court, however, said that Cidco had 'not only exhibited a deliberate inaction but has also taken superficial steps, further encouraging illegal constructions.' The judges said, 'By its conduct, Cidco has not only fostered unauthorised structures but has also jeopardised the interest of innocent flat purchasers who, despite investing their hard-earned money, have become victims of these illegal developments'. The court, however, added, 'These purchasers, who failed to exercise due diligence by conducting proper title searches and obtaining sanctioned plans, cannot be entirely absolved of their imprudence. Their recourse, if any, lies against the developer.' The court also ordered the authorities, including the Maharashtra government and Cidco, to take action against 'all concerned officers who have permitted the continuance of illegal construction since 2014 and take appropriate action against not only the officers of Cidco but also against the concerned developers…'. The high court also set aside an order of the civil judge, junior division, Uran, who had ordered a status quo in the case in December 2024.
