In case NGT’s Pune bench is shifted to New Delhi, the cost which the petitioner and the State will be very high.
The fate of dozens of petitioners and environmentalists from Goa will be decided by the Bombay High Court, Goa over the shifting of the cases from NGT’s Pune bench of the Central bench of NGT at New Delhi on September 5.
Travelling expenses of the petitioners from Goa and the State to Pune are less comparatively less to those of the Delhi bench of NGT. Environmentalists across the state are very upset over the notification of the MOEF&CC (Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change) shifting of Goa cases to the Central zone of NGT in New Delhi despite Goa being the highest in terms of the cases in Pune and in terms with the distance.
Kashinath Shetye has filed maximum cases with the NGT on various violations of the environmental laws by the State as well as private parties. He works with the Electricity Department as junior engineer for past over 25 years but had managed to travel in Pune whenever his presence was required. But, now he feels it is difficult to travel and manage the cases travelling to Delhi.
Besides High Court’s suo motu cognizance over the notification of the MOEF&CC, Shetye and few others have also filed a PIL challenging the said notification.
“The distance from Goa to Pune is just 420 kms which is feasible for a lay man to travel while Delhi is almost impossible with the distance of over 1800 kms”, Shetye said.
He said that one can travel by bus from Goa to Pune overnight and return the next day after attending the court.
“There is no need to book railway ticket, no air fare, no need to book hotel and nothing. It was very easier for a common man of Goa which government now wants to make it difficult”, he said.
Another petitioner Domnic Pereira said that there was no need to waste time if the bench is in Pune because in one day a person could return home after attending the court.
“The petitioners can even travel by their own car to save time and come back next day in the evening, it is just eight hours journey from Goa”, he said.
Pereira further said that for a common man to bear the expenses of flight, hotel room and lawyer in Delhi is not possible.
“We are spending our own money from our own resources and it is due to failure of the State government to act against the illegalities which are harming the ecology”, he said.
Dr Ketan Govekar, another petitioner, has said that it is wrong decision of the MOEF&CC to shift cases to Delhi on the backdrop of Goa being highest in terms of cases before the bench.
“There should a circuit bench in Goa like other states; Government cannot make justice so expensive, it should be at our doorstep”, he said.
Judith Almeida, one more petitioner, said that it is not only the petitioner who has to bear the extra expenses but also the State which will lose money.
“Why has the State to spend extra money from the public exchequer, it is our money. Whatever the State was spending on counsel and travelling of officers in lakhs would go in to crores if the cases are shifted to Delhi,” she said.
She further said that officers would also remain more days out of the office if their presence will be required in the NGT. “Finally the decision of MOEF&CC will reflect on entire functioning of the State government,” she added.
All the environmentalists have raised the serious concern over the cost and the time which the petitioners and officers would be spending if the cases are transferred to Delhi from Pune.
An air ticket to Delhi ranges between Rs 10,000 and Rs 25,000 (one way); hotel room which has to be booked will cost around
Rs 2000 and compulsorily a counsel has to be hired, this cost has raised an apprehension in the minds of the petitioner.
