The much-hyped National Green Tribunal, which started functioning last year, could be wound up if the Centre fails to provide accommodation to its judicial and expert members by Monday.
The Supreme Court set this deadline after it was appalled by the Centre’s failure to provide “habitable” accommodation to judicial members, two of whom were lodged in state guest houses while another was housed in a one-room accommodation in Vigyan Bhavan.
The Court, which is monitoring accommodation, office space and infrastructure to be provided to NGT and its members, recalled a letter written by Directorate of Estates on February 27 this year allotting four Type 7 bungalows in the Commonwealth Games Village to the four judicial members.
But NGT’s counsel Binu Tamta submitted that the houses were “uninhabitable” as it had cracks, seepages and had no facilities.
“Why should the judges stay in places below their dignityIJ It is not because of their class, but the amount of work they are required to perform needs more space. If it cannot be provided let it not function then,” observed the bench of Justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya. ASG PP Malhotra sought time of three days for the Centre to enquire about the faults detected in CWG village flats and suggest suitable alternatives.
The court asked advocate Sanjay Parikh assisting the Court as amicus curiae to visit the flats along with NGT’s counsel to report its present condition. “If it’s found that the letter of Director Estates contained misleading statements and the accommodation was not fit for human habitation with adequate conveniences, the Court may have to pass order for stay of NGT Act.”
The court reminded the Centre that the accommodation provided to NGT’s judicial members should be at par with those provided to other former judges currently heading tribunals in the Capital.