The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has served a notice to authorities following a plea alleging non-compliance with prior directives to reduce the release of untreated sewage into the Yamuna River from Vrindavan and Kosi towns in Uttar Pradesh. The execution application, filed by Vijay Kishor Goswami through advocate Akash Vashishtha, sought enforcement of the NGT’s order from December 17, 2021, related to Yamuna pollution. Despite the lapse of time, the applicant claims that the NGT’s instructions to combat pollution and enhance sewage treatment infrastructure have not been adhered to.
The green tribunal, led by Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Expert Members Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahmad, acknowledged the concerns raised and directed the applicant to provide copies of the plea and submit an affidavit of service at least one week before the next hearing. The case is scheduled for further review on August 4. The applicant had previously raised issues about the discharge of untreated sewage and wastewater from Vrindavan and Kosi towns into the Yamuna and the Kosi drain near Sunrakh, emphasizing deficiencies in sewage treatment facilities.
The NGT, in earlier proceedings, had appointed a monitoring committee headed by a former Allahabad High Court judge, which discovered that the water quality downstream of the Yamuna in the Mathura-Vrindavan stretch was notably worse than upstream due to the discharge of untreated effluents. The committee highlighted inefficiencies in bio-remediation processes, irregular sewage flows, and the necessity for adequate funding, stricter monitoring, and plantation drives to prevent re-encroachment on cleared land.
