NGT seeks report on Kasauli distillery

PTI

New Delhi, April 17

The National Green Tribunal has formed a fresh committee to examine the allegations that a distillery in Himachal Pradesh’s Kasauli is polluting a natural water source.

The NGT passed the order for constituting a new panel after hearing a matter relating to a Mohan Meakin distillery allegedly dumping effluents into Kasauli Kund in Solan district.

Report lacked ‘Material Particulars’

• The National Green Tribunal has formed a fresh committee to examine the allegations against a distillery in Himachal Pradesh's Kasauli polluting a natural water source
• The NGT passed the order for constituting a new panel after hearing a matter relating to a Mohan Meakin distillery allegedly dumping effluents into Kasauli Kund in Solan district
• However, the report lacked "material particulars", the judicial members of the Bench - Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel - said. "The credibility of the entire report is doubtful," the Bench said in its April 9 order
• The tribunal noted the submissions of the project proponent (Mohan Meakin) about using water from three sources, the on-source groundwater for which permission was obtained, and two natural springs for which there was no permission

A Bench led by NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava said a report had been submitted by a joint committee comprising representatives of the Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board (HPPCB), Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), besides the district magistrate (DM) of Solan and others constituted earlier.

However, the report lacked ‘material particulars’, the judicial members of the Bench — Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member A Senthil Vel — said. “The credibility of the entire report is doubtful,” the Bench said in its April 9 order.

The tribunal noted the submissions of the project proponent (Mohan Meakin) about using water from three sources, the on-source groundwater for which permission was obtained, and two natural springs for which there was no permission.

“The project proponent (PP) is required to disclose as to how it is utilising the water from two sources of spring existing within the premises without permission,” it said.

The tribunal said it required a fresh report from an independent panel and formed a joint committee comprising the DM of Solan, member secretary of the HPPCB, a representative of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change not below the rank of ‘Scientist E’, and a representative of the CPCB’s Delhi office.

“The committee will visit the site, collect all the relevant information relating to compliance of norms by the PP, get the sample analysis done for this purpose and submit the report,” the panel said.

The tribunal allowed the PPs prayer to permit it to submit its reply within four weeks.The matter has been listed on July 22 for further proceedings.

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