The National Green Tribunal (NGT) came down heavily on municipal bodies across Uttar Pradesh as the discharge of untreated sewage into the river Ganga continued, the NDTV reported.
The NGT underlined that environment and public health were not a part of the municipal bodies’ priority list. Here are the key highlights:
1) The representatives of municipal corporations from Mirzapur, Fatehpur, Chunar and Bhadohi cited financial crunch as the reason for failing to stop the discharge of untreated sewage.
2) The municipal corporations put the blame on the state government. They alleged that the government did not release any water to work on sewage treatment systems in the major cities from where sewage seeped into the river.
3) The NGT underlined that continuous delays to implement suggestions by the previous benches have resulted in the present state of the river. The matter will be taken up for hearing again on July 27.
4) From 2012 to March 2017, Rs 2,2911 crore has been spent on cleaning the Ganga.
5) The untreated sewage flowing into the river Ganga from Kanpur, Allahabad and other cities has haunted the Namami Gange project.
6) Under the Namami Gange project, five new sewage treatment plants have been constructed in UP between 2015-2018, and three more are under construction. Now, at least 15 more are needed to counter the flow of untreated sewage into the river.