NEW DELHI (PTI): On Sept.17 the Supreme Court ordered the closure of 190 industrial units in Uttar Pradesh state situated on the banks of the Ganges river for their failure (0 install pollution control devices.
The order was passed by a division bench comprising Justice Kuldip Singh and Justice S.C.Aggarwal after the U P. pollution control board told the court that these industrial units had not complied with its direction to set up effluent treatment plants to check growing pollution in these areas.
‘The court also directed the district magistrates and superintendents of police to ensure strict compliance of the apex court order in the regard.
They indicated that they were considering directing the center federal government set up permanent machinery for monitoring pollution threats to the Taj Mahal and the Ganges river.
Justice Kuldip Singh said as a first Step the court would issue directions this week to the Federal Government to give a list of names of technical experts on pollution matters to the court so that they could be appointed as members of four technical committees to monitor the pollution threat to the Ganges river, flowing through three states and for protecting the Taj Mahal.
These monitoring committees would function over the state pollution control boards guiding them if needed.
The court had in an order last month ordered closure of nearly 200 industrial units in the vicinity of the 16th century white marble mausoleum; the country’s most frequented tourist spot.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 24, 1993
