PUDUCHERRY: Lt Governor Kiran Bedi has written to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to pass binding orders on the government with regard to protection of the environment in and around the Kurumbapet garbage dumping yard, thus raising the ante in her attempt to resolve the differences between her and Chief Minister Narayanasamy.
In her letter to P Jyothimani, judicial member, NGT, Southern Zone, Chennai, on January 11, 2017, Bedi referred to a letter dated December 5, 2016 written by the NGT, advocating cooperation between the political and the executive establishments to ensure that Puducherry remains a model environmentally-clean State.
In the letter, Bedi gave an assurance to the NGT that the fire raging in the Kurumbapet garbage yard would be extinguished and the smoke would soon be quelled. She also stated in the letter that she would write to the Chief Minister to take immediate cognizance of the “grave incident” and take adequate corrective, preventive and administrative steps without further delay.
The NGT has the power to ensure that the Puducherry government is bound by its directives. However, writing a letter to the NGT requesting that the tribunal pass binding orders on the government raises questions as to whether the Lt Governor is acting within the powers vested in the office she holds.
It is unbecoming of the office of the Lt Governor, an office authorised by the Constitution, to canvass in any form. Doing so is in contempt of the Constitution, observed an advocate.
However, Bedi’s letter to the NGT is seen as a strategic move to ensure that the ministry led by V Narayanasamy toes her line.
Meanwhile, at the Kurumbapet dumping yard, officers were tasked to work with their counterparts in Tamil Nadu. The administration will take steps to put in place a permanent system to safeguard the yard from miscreants in the future.