Navi Mumbai: The National Green Tribunal (NGT), western zone bench (Pune), has slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the Thane collector for failing to file a reply on the problem of heaps of debris found dumped at several locations, including at coastal regulation zone (CRZ) sites, in the district. The NGT called the collector “incorrigible”.The bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Singh and environment expert Sujit Kumar Bajpayee said in a recent order that the district collector would have to deposit the Rs 1 lakh in the account of NGT Bar Association (western zone) and also appear in person before the tribunal soon.Environmentalist D Stalin of the NGO Vanashakti, the petitioner in the case, termed the NGT action a strong and welcome wake-up call for senior officers, who he said had dealt casually with the question of environmental degradation so far.“ In at least 10 places in Thane, including CRZ sites, there is massive amount of unattended waste debris, such as concrete and demolition waste,” he said. “This could have been cleared much earlier, but the Thane authorities did not act, and hence we petitioned in the NGT.”Stalin said that the inaction of the collector was primarily responsible for the massive ecological destruction happening and that it continued even after the NGO had tracked 15 such sites.“All corrupt officials from other departments who could have taken preventive or corrective action apparently shirked their responsibility as well,” he said. “To restore the environment, public money will be spent. If the sites are not restored the authorities concerned will sanction construction plans and innocent buyers will face the consequences. People who buy properties in the Thane-Diva-Bhiwandi belt must check the CRZ status of the lands before buying.”Some of the sites with heaps of waste and debris were at Dive Anjur, Kasheli, Kharadi Phata, Kharadigaon, and near Mumbra railway station, among others.The next NGT hearing is on October 12.Green activists are keenly following the developments in the case and stressed that the collector must pay the penalty from this pocket and not from the coffers of the district administration, as that is taxpayer money.
