The Indian National Green Tribunal (NGT), New Delhi had listed 14 cases and clubbed them together for final judgement on 22 Jul. All these cases were related to Buddha Nullah/Dariya (Old Drain/River) in Ludhiana. The critical one was Punjab Pollution Control Board’s (PPCB) non-compliance with NGT’s clarification on an earlier judgement on 9 December 2024 that all three Common Effluent Treatment Plants (CETP) must stop pouring dyeing and electroplating industrial waste into the Nullah. The hearing was also supposed to address the issue of 54 scattered dyeing units allegedly discharging effluents directly into the sewer system connected to Buddha Nullah. Meanwhile, on 21 July, the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change also issued show-cause notices to the CETPs operating without valid consent from the PPCB. However, in the NGT hearing, the Panjab government pleaded that they have a new PPCB chief, the recently appointed Reena Gupta, a new Industries minister Sanjeev Arora, and have recently constituted a High Level Committee to look into the matter, so they need two months to implement the NGT’s orders. On 16 Jul, the Panjab Science, Technology and Environment Department, had constituted a 12-member high-level committee to develop a comprehensive and long-term action plan for the cleaning and rejuvenation of the Buddha Dariya. A senior official, not wanting to be named, said, 'Neither the state govt nor the PPCB took the orders of the NGT seriously. Now, when the final hearing date is approaching, a high-level committee has been formed.' The petitioner, Public Action Committee (PAC), had filed three execution applications-cum-contempt petitions against the CETPs for non-compliance with the NGT’s order. The Tribunal has granted the time sought and issued notices to the PPCB and the CETPs based on PAC’s contempt cases. The contempt charges could lead to penalties of up to USD 1.1M or imprisonment up to three years or both for willful disobedience of Tribunal orders. PAC rejected a suggestion by a lawyer for informal talks with industry and has announced they will decide on the next course of action which will involve the public (earlier coverage).
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