Now Reading: Parliamentary panel asks NGT to use suo motu powers more proactively
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Parliamentary panel asks NGT to use suo motu powers more proactively
A parliamentary committee has urged the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to "more proactively" use its suo motu powers on critical environmental issues, including tree felling for highway construction, illegal sand mining and…
A parliamentary committee has urged the National Green Tribunal (NGT) to "more proactively" use its suo motu powers on critical environmental issues, including tree felling for highway construction, illegal sand mining and severe air pollution in Delhi and the Indo-Gangetic plain. The department-related standing committee on law and personnel tabled its report on the functioning of the tribunal system in both Houses earlier this month.
The committee also recommended stronger follow-up by the NGT and the Environment Ministry through regular action-taken reports, effective use of joint committees and clear fixing of responsibility to ensure timely implementation of orders. Established in 2010, the NGT is a specialised body for the expeditious disposal of cases related to environmental protection.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The NGT's suo motu powers, granted under Section 19 of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010, allow it to take up cases without a petition. This committee request follows years of criticism that the tribunal's orders, especially on Delhi air pollution and illegal mining, are routinely ignored by state agencies. The Environment Ministry has faced similar parliamentary scrutiny before, a 2022 standing committee report had flagged the same compliance gap. What changes now is the parliamentary committee's explicit call for action-taken reports and joint committees, a procedural mechanism that could force state governments and the ministry to document non-compliance publicly. The NGT's next compliance hearing cycle, expected within three months, will test whether this pressure translates into faster action on the ground.
Source: thehindu.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
