The high court of Uttarakhand has directed the State authorities to shut down industries operating in violation of regulations. The high court further directed enforcement of ban on loudspeakers in residential areas which should be maintained as noise-free zones.
According to the case details, Mahendra Singh of Bhagwanpur in Haridwar district had filed a public interest litigation in the high court seeking a solution to the contaminated water at Bhagwanpur inter college due to the factories nearby. The petitioner had sought that the contaminated water be stopped from entering the school field. Taking cognisnace of the petition, the division bench of justice Rajiv Sharma and justice lokpal Singh directed that industries operation in violation of regulations should be closed down.
The court also directed the Uttarakhand Environment Protection and Pollution Control Board to ensure that factories are operated according to the regulations. A penalty of Rs50 lakh was also imposed on the factory in question in Bhagwanpur for generating pollution.
The division bench also ordered the revenue secretary to provide copies of the court order to all sub divisional magistrates, Gram Panchayats, district Panchayats and others concerned to ensure that the rivers and streams are not contaminated.
Further, the high court also prohibited the use of loudspeakers, stressing that the residential areas should be maintained as noise-free zones. This should be enforced strictly by the senior superintendent of police concerned.