Green Tribunal delivered its final verdict on Vrindavan’s garbage menace

Vrindavan / New Delhi, 2016.08.23 (VT): What could be a better gift for Vrindavan on the occasion of Shri Krishna Janmashtami, than a renewed commitment of keeping Vrindavan clean? The National Green Tribunal has given its final judgment against the illegal and unregulated disposal of the Municipal Solid Waste in the temple town of Vrindavan. The Green Court has also refused to modify its earlier order of slapping environment compensation on the authorities including the Vrindavan Municipality, Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board and the District Administration. The court said that the petition of the authorities were ‘without substance’ and lack ‘bonafide’. In its order the Green Court restrained the Municipality or any person from burning the Municipal Solid Waste or other waste in the open in any part of Vrindavan, as well as from dumping the waste on the river bed of Yamuna. The court also directed the Municipality to identify the site and prepare the same for transportation and dumping of the Municipal Solid Waste. In given time, the Municipality didn’t comply with the order of the court. The petitioner Shri Madhumangal Shukla informed the court that the respondents were defying the courts order. He persisted in the court that the indiscriminate dumping of the garbage was still in practice even after the court’s direction. He also produced the evidences on how the garbage was still being burnt at different places including the banks of the water bodies. After seeing the evidences, the court appointed a senior lawyer as court commissioner to visit Vrindavan to find out the truth about the garbage management in the holy town. After visiting Vrindavan, the commissioner submitted his report in which he dealt with different sites in the City of Vrindavan and showed that there was indiscriminate dumping of the Solid Waste besides being burnt in different places. While dismissing the plea of the authorities to give relief on the fine imposed on them; the court said, “The report of the local commissioner discloses the pathetic state of affairs prevailing in Vrindavan, even on the bank of Yamuna. The respondents cannot repeatedly harm the public health and environment by not acting in accordance with their statutory and public law obligation. For these reasons, we see no ground to modify and /or recall the order dated 11th May 2016.” The bench gave two weeks time to all the Respondent Applications to comply with the judgment dated 11th May, 2016 and deposit the requisite amount with the Central Pollution Control Board. Talking to the media the petitioner, Shri Madhumangal Shukla said, “It is the victory for all the devotees who want to see Vrindavan clean. Now when the court has given its final verdict, we need to ensure that the Municipality comply with the directions of the court.” “We shall decide the next course of action in the meeting of the Braj-Vrindavan Heritage Alliance,” added Shri Shukla.

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