YEARS
The bench also comprised Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Mishra. The bench accepted the appeal filed by the Punjab government against the NGT order. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared on behalf of the state.
In a major relief to the Punjab government, the Supreme Court on Friday stayed the National Green Tribunal’s (NGT) order imposing a fine of Rs 1,000 crore on the state government for failing to effectively manage solid and liquid waste. A bench headed by Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y Chandrachud suspended the NGT’s July 25 order which had sought an explanation from the state’s chief secretary and other senior officials as to why action should not be taken against them for disobeying the tribunal’s directions.
The bench also comprised Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Mishra. The bench admitted the appeal filed by the Punjab government against the NGT order. Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi appeared for the state. The NGT order had strongly reprimanded Punjab for its continued non-compliance with waste management laws, holding the state responsible for repeatedly failing to address critical environmental concerns despite several warnings. The July 25 verdict also lamented the lapses in the management of legacy waste and untreated sewage in the state.
The tribunal calculated the penalty based on violations of the last six months, saying that about 5.387 million tonnes of waste was generated in Punjab, and there remained a significant gap of 314.06 million litres per day in the state’s sewage treatment capacity till June 2024.
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