New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the Jammu and Kashmir government to submit a clear timeline for the construction and commissioning of sewerage treatment plants (STPs) along the Doodh Ganga, while the J&K Pollution Control Committee (JKPCC) has informed the Tribunal that environmental compensation will be imposed on Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), Municipal Council Chadoora, and Municipal Council Budgam within six weeks.
The matter came up before the Principal Bench headed by Justice Prakash Srivastava and expert member Dr. Senthil Veil, which expressed dissatisfaction over the government’s earlier submissions on STP projects from Barzulla to Chadoora and at Mamath Kul in Budgam. The Tribunal noted that the disclosures lacked timelines and failed to mention household connectivity.
“The Secretary, Environment is required to disclose the outer time-limit for completing the work of construction of STP and its commissioning and 100% household connectivity,” the bench observed, directing the officer to file a fresh affidavit.
The case, filed by environmental activist Dr. Raja Muzaffar Bhat, highlighted that large-scale illegal mining and unchecked pollution had severely damaged Doodh Ganga’s embankments, leading to landslides and breaches in three irrigation channels—Kralpur Kul, Doyan Kul and Masar Kul—affecting over 5,000 kanals of farmland. The petitioner, represented by environmental lawyer Rahul Chowdhary, argued that no substantive restoration steps had been taken so far.
The Tribunal was also informed that joint committee reports confirmed non-compliance with Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016, with waste being dumped untreated into Doodh Ganga and Mamath Kul. JKPCC’s Member Secretary assured that penalties against SMC and the two municipal councils will be enforced, with an action-taken report due in six weeks.
Counsel for the J&K government sought more time to respond to the petitioner’s fresh affidavit and allegations concerning damage from mining during recent floods. The Tribunal granted six weeks for filing the counter-response.
This is not the first time penalties have been levied in the case. Earlier, SMC was fined ₹1 crore in 2022 and ₹42 crore in 2023, while MC Chadoora, MC Budgam, and the Budgam Mining Department also paid compensation totaling several crores.
The case will continue to be monitored by the Tribunal, with particular focus on curbing illegal mining, strengthening embankments, and ensuring scientific waste treatment to restore Doodh Ganga.
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