CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued show cause notice to the chief secretary, Odisha, secretary of the Housing and Urban Development department, Bargarh collector and executive officer of Bargarh municipality in connection with the alleged non-compliance of order regarding removal of legacy waste from Bargarh town for more than a decade.
NGT’s east zone bench comprising Sudhir Agarwal (Judicial Member) and Dr Arun Kumar Verma (Expert Member) observed, “In the circumstances, we find sufficient justification in this particular matter where action should be taken for prosecution of the authorities who have not complied with the Tribunal’s order by initiation of prosecution under Section 26 of NGT Act, 2010.”
“However, before proceeding further in the matter, we find it appropriate to give a last opportunity to the concerned authorities hence we give opportunity to respondents to show cause as to why appropriate directions be not issued for initiation of prosecution against them for committing offence by non-complying and disobeying the directions of the Tribunal and thereby, attracting the provisions of Section 26 of NGT Act, 2010,” the bench stated.
Response by the said authorities shall be submitted within one month, the bench added, further posting the matter to July 28.
As per section 26 of the National Green Tribunal Act, non-compliance of direction of Tribunal is an offence for which punishment as prescribed includes imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine which may extend to Rs 10,000 crore.
Ramakanta Rout and six other residents of Purushotam Nagar in ward no 15 under Bargarh Municipality area filed the petition seeking criminal proceedings against the authorities for non-compliance of orders the Tribunal had issued on March 23, 2023. Advocates Sankar Prasad Pani and Ashutosh Padhy represented the petitioners.