Panel to check river pollution on April 16

NASHIK: The committee appointed by the Bombay high court on March 7 to implement directions and suggestions of the National Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) regarding river pollution will visit the river on April 6.
The team will examine the river stretch between Gangapur Dam and Road for the source of piollutants.
The panel is headed by the divisional revenue commissioner and comprises the municipal commissioner, representatives of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB), NEERI officers as well as Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) technical experts and the NGO.After conducting meetings and site visits, the team will submit a report of their findings to the HC on the next date of hearing scheduled in May. The team will also be accompanied by students of NB Thakur Law College for legal consultation.
The HC had passed the order while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the non-governmental organization (NGO) - Godavari Gatarikaran Virodhi Manch, against government officials about the polluted Godavari River.
In their first meeting at the revenue commissioner's office held in the end of March, the team decided to survey the entire stretch of the river.
An NMC official said, "The committee will visit the river flowing from Gangapur dam to Road on April 6 to examine the source of pollution. On April 17, we will discuss our observations in the second meeting, which will be held at the revenue commissioner's office." Issues like land acquisition, sewage treatment plants, common effluent treatment plants will also be dicussed at the meeting.
"Sub-committees have been formed. One is the technical committee, the second is the awareness campaign committee and the third is the Purohit Mahasangh Committee," said the official. Prajakta Baste, an architect who has a Phd in river rejuvenation will head one of the sub-committees as a technical expert.
Rajesh Pandit, one of the petitioners said, "We will work with the system and also take the opinion of the Purohit Mahasangh which will comprise Hindu priests to discuss the issues like nirmallya being dumped into the river. The report will be submitted to the court at the next hearing in May."