National Green Tribunal (NGT) local Commissioner Sharik Abbas Zaidi who arrived here on Saturday expressed his displeasure for the ‘apathetic’ roles of the district administration, nodal agency and nodal officers over the use of plastics in the city.
It may be mentioned that the NGT had on July 2 passed an order banning the sale, purchase and use of plastics in any form the city.
NGT also directed that responsibility of implementing the order rested squarely with Municipal Corporation Haridwar (MCH), district administration and police.
He said only one percent of the order has been implemented so far. A stricter order was in the offing to enforce the ban effectively, he disclosed.
Accompanied with Mukhya Nagar Adhikari (MNA) Vipra Trivedi, ADM Admin JS Nangyal and SP City Surjit Singh Panwar, Zaidi visited several locations in the city, including different ghats like Har ki Pauri and Chandi ghat aside from the parking area near the Ganga basin.
He asked MNA to fix bins near the ghats, the places already marked by the local commissioner from MCH’s emergency funds.
Zaidi also instructed MNA and other officials of the concerned department to cut the electricity and water supply of those hotels and shops which have come up illegally near Nai (barber) ghat and several other ghats near Ganga.
Zaidi informed The Pioneer that he was totally disappointed over the steps taken by the trio agencies in the city to implement the NGT order. Notably, the next hearing on this matter would be held on August 4 in New Delhi.
He informed that stricter orders in the interests of Ganga were likely to be issued during the next hearing.
He further said six to seven more visits were required and permanent NGT monitoring committee must monitor the conditions of the Ganga daily to restore things to order. He also came down heavily on MNA Haridwar for not providing the list of illegally built hotels and shops. He said they were singularly unwilling to take actions against those who are polluting Ganga.
Quizzed over the district administration having appealed to NGT to narrow the ban to the polythenes of less than 40 microns and some State Ministers having hinted that the State Government would provide for some relaxation in the use of plastics, he said that they must approach NGT.
“No solicitation either from PM or CM be entertained,” he added. He made it clear that as per the NGT orders, plastic means plastic, irrespective of category and the like.