NGT penalises authorities for late environmental reports, responses

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday said any document, including responses and reports, filed beyond the stipulated date, will be taken on record only after payment of costs.

The tribunal, while hearing a case about environmental violations in Haryana, noted that a joint committee failed to submit its final report by November last year, according to the green body’s directions.

A bench of judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad said, “We have observed that despite orders passed by this tribunal specifying the period within which the counter-affidavits or reports are to be filed, the parties or committees concerned take liberty to file the same beyond the specified period, which causes unnecessary adjournments and also sheer wastage of time.”

The bench said that in case of any exceptional facts and circumstances, the party or the committee could request the tribunal to extend the time or file a plea for condonation of delay while submitting a belated report.

The tribunal underlined that such delayed reports could not be simply placed on record without its express direction. It said such reports had to be taken on record only after deposit of appropriate costs for causing inconvenience, delay and unnecessary adjournment.

“Accordingly, the registry is directed to make a note in the daily cause list that counter affidavits, fact-finding reports, responses, reports filed beyond the specified period will be taken on record subject to payment of appropriate costs as may be ordered by this tribunal,” the green body said.

It directed the registry to make a specific reference at the time of listing of the matter for specifying the costs.