&w=3840&q=100)
NGT seeks response to Ganga Action Plan execution gaps in West Bengal
The NGT, while reviewing the status of Ganga pollution control measures in West Bengal, noted that partial action has been taken in the state to control the flow of polluting materials into the river, but untreated sewage continues to flow into it from several drains.
Noting that several sewage treatment plants are either non-functional or not meeting the standards, the principal bench of the NGT, headed by chairman Justice Prakash Shrivastava, held that there are gaps in data, project execution and water quality.
The NGT directed that the deficiencies and gaps noticed from disclosure made in reports of the state and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) be "responded to" by way of affidavit by the chief secretary of West Bengal, the director general of National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) and CPCB before the next hearing for the state on October 8.
The NGT said that the report submitted by the West Bengal government states that drains having significant flow are discharging a large pollution load and for these drains, DPR (detailed project report) is still under preparation and timelines are uncertain.
The NGT said that a rejuvenation plan should be executed to ensure prevention of discharge of sewage and sullage into storm water drains and canals and accordingly create centralised and decentralised sewage treatment facilities.
The CPCB report said that out of 42 sewerage treatment plants (STP) in 30 Ganga front towns in the state, only 31 were operationaland only seven were complying with the standards and thus, untreated or partially treated sewage is being discharged.
The NGT noted that CPCB has not disclosed in its report the total installed treatment capacity of the 42 STPs and the extent of utilisation capacities.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘Indirect censorship': Digipub moves Karnataka High Court supporting X Corp's plea against takedown orders
The Digipub News India Foundation, a coalition of digital media organisations and independent journalists, Friday made submissions before the Karnataka High Court, supporting X Corp's petition against alleged subjective blocking orders on X issued by Central government officers across the country. A bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna was hearing the case challenging the blocking orders on X using Section 79 (3)(B) of the Information Technology (IT) Act. X Corp also raised issues with the Sahyog portal for intermediaries, which it has previously referred to as a censorship portal. Previously, during Tuesday's hearing, X Corp's counsel, senior advocate K G Raghavan, argued that government officials were issuing the takedown orders for social media posts without applying any uniform standard. X Corp has been arguing that these takedown orders can be issued only through the mechanism laid down by the Supreme Court in the case of Shreya Singhal vs Union of India, that is, through Section 69(A) of the Information Technology Act, and not Section 79 (3)(B). Raghavan previously argued that 69A had been upheld by the apex court on account of inherent safeguards, while 79(3)(b), which deals with the removal of protection from intermediaries like X, did not have such safeguards. Senior advocate Aditya Sondhi, representing Digipub, stated, 'X is before the high court as an intermediary….the parties directly affected by the entire exercise that the government has come up with is us….these media organisations are in a dual capacity of providing and receiving content online.' He pointed out that in the exercise of takedown of content by the intermediaries, the content creator in question did not get the chance to be heard. He also questioned the manner in which Rule (3)(1) (d) of the IT rules, which refers back to Section 79 (3) (b), is being applied, raising the issue of free speech implications. Referring to safe harbour protections of intermediaries being a free speech right, he said, 'It is precisely this, the indirect censorship, that is now being played out through this mechanism. An officer unhappy with a news report etc not palatable to his personal politics, political master morality….sits in his office and says take it down. That is the chilling effect.' Referring to the current takedown orders as well as the Sahyog platform, Sondhi stated that the situation was that of an 'ad hoc executive regime'. He added, 'A judicial determination of an unlawful act by a duly constituted court of law on the one hand – and a cyclostyled form in the hands of an officer to fill in a couple of blanks, directly infringing Article 19 (1)(a) [freedom of speech].' The hearing is set to continue on July 17.
New Indian Express
3 hours ago
- New Indian Express
Trial delays forcing innocents to spend years in prison: Chief Justice of India Justice BR Gavai
HYDERABAD: Stating that India and the legal system are facing unique challenges that require urgent attention, Chief Justice of India Justice BR Gavai on Saturday asserted that the country has the talent to find solutions. Speaking at the 22nd Annual Convocation of NALSAR University of Law, the CJI said: 'Delays in trials can sometimes last decades. There are cases where individuals have been declared innocent after spending years in jail as undertrials. Our best talent can help resolve such issues.' Justice Gavai noted the disparity in perceptions surrounding legal graduates, saying a student from a national law school in a metro city is often considered better placed than one from a smaller university. 'This is not necessarily because of skill, but perception. It is unfair, but real. We need to confront it, not accept it,' he said. The CJI stressed the importance of core legal subjects such as the Constitution, Contract Act, Code of Civil Procedure and Criminal Law, stating that there is no shortcut to legal knowledge and no alternative to knowing the basics. He also referred to the rapid changes in law due to emerging areas like artificial intelligence and data privacy. Addressing the growing trend of pursuing foreign degrees, the CJI said such qualifications have become symbols of validation. 'If you wish to go, go. It teaches you how the world thinks. But go with scholarship and funding. Go with purpose, not pressure. I see young lawyers taking loans of `50–70 lakh for this. Do not put yourself or your family under such a burden. A foreign degree alone is not a stamp of your worth.' Justice Gavai said the trend also reflects a deeper structural concern, that of a lack of confidence in India's postgraduate legal education and research. 'If we want to keep our best minds or bring them back, we must create nurturing academic environments, offer transparent and merit-based opportunities, and most importantly, restore dignity and purpose to legal research and teaching in India.' SC Judge Justice PS Narasimha, CM A Revanth Reddy, Acting CJ of the Telangana HC were present.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Indian Express
Bihar case in Supreme Court, EC asks all states to prepare for intensive revision
A day after a petition was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Election Commission's (EC) controversial Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, the poll panel wrote to Chief Electoral Officers (CEOs) of all other states on July 5, directing them to begin preparations for a similar exercise — this time with January 1, 2026, as the qualifying date, The Sunday Express has learned. The qualifying date mentioned in the letter indicates that while the nationwide exercise may start soon, a final timeline for the rest of the country is yet to be decided — though the aim is to include everyone who turns 18 years of age by January 1, 2026. Since 2003 has been chosen for Bihar as 'probative evidence of eligibility' —meaning voters on the electoral roll that year, when the last intensive revision was done, will be presumed Indian citizens unless proven otherwise—other states are also likely to use the year of their last intensive roll revision as the cut-off for presumption of citizenship for existing voters. For instance, Delhi's electoral roll was last intensively revised in 2008. In its instructions, the Commission — referring to paragraph 10 of its order dated June 24, when it formally announced the SIR in Bihar and said detailed guidelines for the rest of the country would follow — has asked all CEOs to complete 'pre-revision activities.' These include: rationalisation of polling stations (including identification of new buildings to ensure no polling station has more than 1,200 electors); filling up all vacant positions of key officials, from Block Level Officers (BLOs) and Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to Assistant Electoral Registration Officers (AEROs), and supervisors who will undertake the enumeration on the ground; and conducting their training. The EC's missive is significant against the backdrop of the upcoming Assembly elections in 2025 in BJP-ruled Assam; TMC-ruled West Bengal; DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu; and Left-ruled Kerala. The Union Territory of Puducherry will also elect a new Assembly next year. Whether the SIR in these four states — three of which are ruled by Opposition parties at the Centre — will be linked to the Assembly elections next year may depend on how the Supreme Court hearing on the Bihar exercise unfolds. During the hearing on Thursday (July 10), the court raised concerns about the timing of the exercise and whether it could be delinked from the state election. Justice Joymalya Bagchi, part of the two-judge bench, flagged the risk of disenfranchising voters by removing names from the rolls just months before polling, even if the broader objective of cleansing the rolls is legitimate. The Supreme Court eventually declined to restrain the EC from proceeding with its intensive revision of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar but suggested that the poll panel also consider Aadhaar, voter ID, and ration cards for the purpose of updating the rolls. If accepted, this would widen the ambit of the current 11-document list — which has already triggered widespread panic and confusion on the ground. Under the EC's June 24 order, any person not listed in the 2003 electoral rolls in Bihar — an estimated 2.93 crore individuals — must submit at least one of these documents to prove their eligibility (essentially, age and Indian citizenship) to be included in the final roll. In effect, even voters who were added to the rolls after 2003 and have voted in subsequent Assembly and Lok Sabha elections will now have to prove their eligibility again. The 11 documents include: any identity card or pension payment order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of any Central or State Government/PSU; any identity card, certificate, or document issued by Government/Local Authorities, Banks, Post Office, LIC, or PSU prior to July 1, 1987; a birth certificate issued by the competent authority; passport; matriculation or educational certificate issued by recognised boards or universities; permanent residence certificate issued by the competent state authority; forest rights certificate; OBC, SC, ST, or any caste certificate issued by the competent authority; the National Register of Citizens (where applicable); family register; and land or house allotment certificate issued by the government. As the ongoing series in The Indian Express shows, Aadhaar, Voter ID, and ration cards are the documents most families in Bihar possess. The fact that none of these meets the current eligibility requirement has sparked concern among voters across the state — from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Harnaut in Nalanda to RJD chief Lalu Prasad's Raghopur in Vaishali, and in the Seemanchal region. The issue is particularly pressing for marginalised groups, including Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs) and minorities, prompting many to call it an 'NRC through the backdoor.' That's why the three newly suggested documents may offer relief — they're far more accessible. As reported by this newspaper Friday, of the three, Aadhaar and Voter ID cards are nearly ubiquitous in Bihar, while ration cards are available to two-thirds of the population. The ECI's stated reason for the exercise is the 'significant change' in the electoral rolls over time, with large-scale additions and deletions since the last intensive revision. It has attributed these shifts to rapid urbanisation, increased migration for education and livelihood, and the tendency of voters to register at new addresses without deleting their names from the rolls of their previous residence. Hence, duplicate entries have become increasingly common. This situation, according to the ECI, warrants an intensive drive to verify each person before they are enrolled as an elector. Officials have also cited repeated complaints from political parties — including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegation of manipulation in Maharashtra's electoral roll — as a factor behind the renewed push to clean up and standardise the rolls. This isn't the first intensive revision of electoral rolls. Such exercises — in all or some parts of the country — have previously been undertaken in 1952–56, 1957, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1983–84, 1987–89, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2002, 2003, and 2004. However, the current revision announced on June 24 differs from previous drives in two key aspects, first reported by The Indian Express on July 10. One, for the first time, the SIR — essentially a fresh preparation through door-to-door enumeration — places the burden of proof on already enrolled voters (on the question of citizenship) at the draft roll stage. Two, it disregards the 'sanctity' of the existing electoral roll — something the Election Commission (EC) had consistently instructed its officers to uphold in all earlier revisions. Ritika Chopra, an award-winning journalist with over 17 years of experience, serves as the Chief of the National Bureau (Govt) and National Education Editor at The Indian Express in New Delhi. In her current role, she oversees the newspaper's coverage of government policies and education. Ritika closely tracks the Union Government, focusing on the politically sensitive Election Commission of India and the Education Ministry, and has authored investigative stories that have prompted government responses. Ritika joined The Indian Express in 2015. Previously, she was part of the political bureau at The Economic Times, India's largest financial daily. Her journalism career began in Kolkata, her birthplace, with the Hindustan Times in 2006 as an intern, before moving to Delhi in 2007. Since then, she has been reporting from the capital on politics, education, social sectors, and the Election Commission of India. ... Read More
