While hearing a suo motu petition on the pollution in Sabarmati River , the Gujarat High Court passed an order to bar the industries found flouting pollution norms from participating in trade fairs and public private partnership events.
A division bench of the HC consisting of Justices JB Pardiwala and VD Nanavati passed an order on September 23 has came down heavily, after the joint task force constituted by the HC to remedy pollution in Sabarmati river submitted last week that 120-kilometre stretch of the river has been ‘practically rendered dead’.
The bench directed the joint task force to firstly start site visits, by second week of october for carrying out inspection and collection of samples for identification of water characterization and to inspect each Sewage Treatment Plant and the Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). The court has sought that a report be submitted for these tasks.
The AMC has been directed to submit the details of industries discharging effluent into the sewerage network with or without permission, to the joint task force members latest by October 7
The court has also stipulated that steps shall be taken by the GIDC to provide drainage connections to the industries.
The court also directed that two responsible officials of Torrent Power Company Limited and the Government Electric Company be with the task force who as per directions to the members of the Task Force, arrange to disconnect the electricity connection of such erring set-up/industrial unit immediately. No re-connection or new connection shall be granted under any other name on the existing premises. The court has also empowered the task force to publish in the newspapers the details of the industrial unit and the name of the owner running a polluting unit
The GPCB meanwhile has been instructed to carry out “industry wise and industrial-estate wise” inspection along with the task force members. It has also been directed to provide by October 7, the details of all the associations/organizations running the existing CETPs and setting up the CETPs. For GPCB’s complaint of manpower shortage for discharging its statutory functions, the court has directed the state government and the AMC to provide adequate manpower to GPCB
