# Parliamentary panel flags NGT staff shortages, case backlogs 2026-08-20T17:32:31+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet A parliamentary standing committee has flagged critical gaps at the National Green Tribunal (NGT), including severe staffing shortages, reliance on contractual workers, weak digital infrastructure and prolonged case pendency. The panel, which tabled its report in Parliament during the monsoon session, found it unusual that the NGT still lacks a dedicated computer or IT section at a time when the government is pushing digitalisation. The committee recommended establishing a dedicated IT section at all benches, filling vacancies of judicial and expert members, and creating a separate mechanism to track cases pending for over three years. It noted that as of June 30, 2026, 5,879 cases were pending out of 55,619 received since the NGT's inception in 2010. The highest pendency is at the Principal Bench in New Delhi (2,318 cases), followed by Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Bhopal. The panel also flagged weak enforcement of NGT orders due to dependence on outside authorities, and suggested stronger follow-up through action-taken reports. It noted a gap between public expectations and the tribunal's interventions on issues like Delhi's air crisis and illegal mining, urging timely and visible responses while respecting statutory limits and the Supreme Court's jurisdiction. ## Indian Opinion Analysis The NGT was set up in 2010 to clear environment cases within six months, but persistent vacancies and lack of digital tools have undermined that mandate. The committee's report comes as environmental litigation rises, particularly around air pollution in Delhi-NCR and illegal mining. The real test will be whether the government acts on the recommendations to fill member posts and fund IT upgrades before the next session. Watch for the law ministry's response in the winter session of Parliament. ## Coverage - timesofindia.indiatimes.com Reports the panel's findings and recommendations without editorializing or taking sides. This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Delhi, National Green Tribunal, Pune Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/parliamentary-panel-flags-ngt-staff-shortages-case-backlogs/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/parliamentary-panel-flags-ngt-staff-shortages-case-backlogs/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/