NCR states under green court scanner over illegal brick kilns

NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has criticised Delhi and its neighbouring states for not filing their reply on a plea that said illegal operation of brick kilns resulted in severe air and water pollution in the national capital region (NCR).

A bench headed by Justice Raghuvendra S Rathore said despite its February 7 direction to file the replies in three weeks, the states concerned and their respective state pollution control boards had not yet filed their response.

“Counsel for state of Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and state pollution control boards are given last opportunity to comply with the order dated February 7 for filing of the report in respect of all brick kiln within the area referred in the original application,” the court said..

“In case they fail to do before the next date of hearing, they would be liable to be saddled with costs,” the bench said and posted the matter for next hearing on May 2.

The tribunal was hearing a plea filed by Delhi resident Shailesh Singh asking for action against brick kilns running without complying with pollution norms and causing immense air and water pollution.

The petition claimed these brick kilns were running without obtaining clearances from the statutory authorities concerned.

The petition had listed seven districts of UP, including Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Hapur and Muzaffarnagar, 13 districts of Haryana, including Gurgaon, and two districts of Rajasthan, besides Delhi.

Referring to a 2017 Central Pollution Control Board report, it claimed that out of 2,125 brick kilns in seven districts of Uttar Pradesh, 1,728 were operating illegally. Similarly, out of 172 brick kilns in Alwar, 109 were running without permission, while 13 of 110 lacked necessary approvals in Bharatpur, it said.