The National Green Tribunal hit out at the Jammu Kashmir administration for failing to prevent the discharge of untreated sewage into the Doodh Ganga and Mamath Kol (stream) in Kashmir valley’s Srinagar and Budgam districts and imposed a fine of Rs 35 Crore on the Jammu Kashmir administration, Live Law reported.
“It is seen that there are serious lapses on the part of the Administration in waste management and in failing to control illegal mining which has resulted in huge damage to the environment and public health. Remedial action is inadequate on the ground. The same is more in the nature of future promises without much accountability for the past failures,” the bench headed by NGT’s Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said in the order dated October 14.
Observing that accountability must be fixed on the principle of ‘polluter pays’, the bench said the nagging problem of waste management stares the administration in the face and remains unresolved to the detriment of the environment and public health. The lack of good governance and determination is responsible for the situation which needs to be remedied soonest, it added.
In October 2021, the tribunal found a prima facie violation of environmental norms showing the failure of statutory regulators in taking remedial action.
The State was also held liable to pay an interim compensation of Rs. 3 Crores to be spent for restoration. However, the authorities still failed to prevent the discharge of untreated waste into the rivers.
The UT administration in response had told the NGT that it had prepared an action plan. However, the NGT said there appears to be a need for change in approach “in realizing that remedial action cannot wait for the indefinite period nor loose ended-timelines without accountability”