NEW DELHI: The National Green Tribunal has sought a detailed list of various industries of Ghaziabad and Hapur districts on a plea alleging that incessant extraction of groundwater has led to severe depletion of water table in the area.
A bench of Justice Raghuvendra S. Rathore ordered the respective District Industries Corporations (DIC) to submit the lists by the next date of hearing on April 25, failing which, it warned, heavy costs would imposed on them.
The bench said: “Last opportunity is granted to respondent to file the list of industries in Ghaziabad and Hapur. It is made clear that in case such list is not filed before the next date, the cost of '5,000 per day thereafter shall be saddled on respondent, till it is submitted.”
The green body sought the lists of various industries in two districts on a plea by Ghaziabad resident Sushil Raghav and NGO Society for Protection of Environment and Biodiversity seeking closure of all industrial units extracting groundwater illegally in the notified areas of Ghaziabad and Hapur.
The green tribunal passed the order after petitioners’ counsel Rahul Chaudhary and Meera Gopal submitted to it that many illegal borewells were operating in the two districts.
The petitioner sought a direction for closure of all water-intensive industries using ground water as raw material in over-exploited areas.
