NMC not complying with Bombay HC, says notice

Two contempt of court notices have been sent to the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) and to the NMC commissioner regarding upgradation of existing sewage treatment plants (STPs), untreated sewage being still pumped in the river and removal of water hyacinth which have choked the river.

The notices were sent by Rajesh Pandit, petitioner in PIL/176/2012, Bombay high court and leading environmentalist, on Monday.

The notice claims that the NMC was not complying with the HC orders, which were issued from time to time. “the HC ordered the NMC to comply all NEERI’s recommendations given in the final report submitted by NEERI in Nov 2014, which had recommended that MPCB should put stringent conditions w.r.t. discharge of treated sewage water into the river,” the notice says.

“The NMC Commissioner mentioned the NMC has to abide by the orders of the honourable high court but the general body meeting passed a resolution giving more importance to asphalting/repairing of roads and didn’t take any cognisance of the request made by the commissioner,” the notice states.

The notice further states that with the help of the high court orders and intervention the Nashik civic body had got funds to the tune of '1,058 crore during Simhasth Kumbh Mela which was sufficient for asphalting and STPs.

Due to raw sewage being pumped near Dadasaheb Sabhgrah and behind Nashik Club the life of citizens residing downstream of the existing STPs has become hygienically miserable, the notice claims.

On the water hyacinth removal issue, the notice states that, in spite of various orders of the Bombay high court, NEERI’s recommendations and oral and written orders from the divisional commissioner on number of occasions, the NMC was not complying and not removing the water hyacinth for months.

The notice further requests the NMC to comply the directions of the Bombay high court within 15 days or he would be constrained to file proceedings for intentional and willful contempt of the high court.