Pollution in Ramganga: NGT summons officials from UP, Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal on Monday slammed Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments over increasing pollution in river Ganga's tributary Ramganga and summoned top officials of the various departments.
A bench headed by NGT chairperson Swatanter Kumar directed the officials from state pollution control boards and Jal Nigam to be present on November 26 and apprise it about the status of drains joining river Ramganga.
"You don't know how many drains join Ramganga. There is total non-cooperation between departments. It is sickening. What is the need to have so many departments if they cannot coordinate with each other. Just have one department which does work...we want all your officers here. It is becoming a joke," the bench said.
The green panel also asked the state pollution control boards to apprise it whether the industries located on the banks of Ramganga were directly dicharging effluents in the river.
The Tribunal was hearing a petition filed by Moradabad resident Anil Kumar Singhal which said that 23 big drains in Moradabad and 10 in Bareilly were discharging untreated sewage into Ramganga.
Advocate Gaurav Bansal, appearing for the petitioner, informed the Tribunal that several newspaper reports have also spoken of pollution in Ranganga.
Bansal said that closure notices were issued to many industrial units by Central Pollution Control Board but they started protests and agitations against the notice.
The petitioner had contended that brass factories, situated on the banks of the river, discharged these substances into it.
Ramganga is one of the major tributaries of river Ganga which originates from Uttarakhand and passes through Moradabad, Bareilly, Badaun, Shahjahanpur and Hardoi cities of Uttar Pradesh located on its banks.
According to the UPPCB affidavit, there are 23 drains in Moradabad which are discharging untreated waste directly into the river. It also said that 120 MLD domestic sewage was being generated from Bareilly, which is being discharged directly or indirectly into Ram Ganga without any treatment.