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The National Green Tribunal on Monday directed the petitioner to provide supporting evidence to the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board to substantiate claims of open defecation at the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj.
The issue raised was the alleged absence of clean or functional bio-toilets at the event.
The plea, filed on February 14, claimed that “lakhs of ordinary people and families are forced to defecate in the open on the bank of the river Ganga” due to the lack of adequate sanitation facilities.
The petitioner had submitted two video clips on a pen drive to support these allegations, but the NGT bench, consisting of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert member A. Senthil Vel, pointed out that the videos did not include geo-coordinates and had not been shared with the UPPCB.
The bench emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, “The original application raises a time-sensitive issue.
Hence, some competent authority must examine the truthfulness of the allegations made by the applicant by ascertaining the correct factual position at the ground level.” The counsel for UPPCB stated that if the necessary material was provided, the board would consider the grievance and take corrective action.
The tribunal disposed of the original application, allowing the petitioner to submit all relevant material to the UPPCB’s member secretary. The member secretary was directed to verify the allegations through a spot inspection. If the claims were found to be true, immediate remedial actions would be taken, and an action taken report would be submitted to the NGT within four weeks.
The tribunal also mentioned that if necessary, the case would be brought back before the bench for further consideration.
The petition filed on February 14 had also accused local authorities of making false claims about the installation of state-of-the-art bio-toilets to manage human waste during the Mahakumbh, despite the reported incidents of open defecation.
On the same day, the NGT had issued notices to the concerned authorities, including the UPPCB.
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