PANJIM: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued show cause notices to chairmen of State Pollution Control Boards (SPCB) across the country, including Goa, asking why it should not cease their functioning for flouting its August 2016 order. The notice has also been issued to Chief Secretaries of States.
In a review petition filed by Rajendra Singh Bhandari against Uttarakhand, the NGT, Principal Bench, issued show cause notices to all Chairmen of the boards that have not been appointed in consonance with the judgment of the Tribunal and or the rules framed under it.
“They shall show cause as to why they should not be asked to cease functioning as Chairmen of the respective Boards,” the four bench tribunal said. The Boards have been granted one week to reply and the matter is scheduled to be heard on June 7.
NGT, on August 23 last year, had issued an order making mandatory special knowledge or practical experience in environment protection studies for the post of Chairman and Member Secretary of SPCBs, across the country. NGT had directed States to examine the appointments of their existing SPCB chiefs and set aside the same if in violation of the law within three months.
“None of the Board’s have taken effective steps, much less to say, made appointments in accordance with the judgment/rules. The period of three months had elapsed in November 2016 and further period of six months has already gone by but no results have come as of now,” the Tribunal observed in its order.
“We do not expect the State government not to take action on the orders and to flout the directions issued, particularly in relation to posts of such sensitivity and responsibility, as the entire environmental status of the State, would depend on the functioning of the SPCB where the Chairman and Member Secretary are the head of the organisation,” it added.
NGT pointed out that some States have approached the Supreme Court over the issue but till date no stay has been granted.
