NGT issues notice to West Bengal on plea highlighting pollution of Ganga by eateries at Howrah Railway Station

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) recently sought responses from several authorities on a plea regarding pollution of river Ganga/ Hooghly caused by eateries operating at Howrah Railway Station [Subhas Datta vs State of West Bengal and Ors.].After seeing the photographs attached along with the plea, a bench of judicial member Justice B Amit Sthalekar and expert member Dr Arun Kumar Verma was satisfied that a substantial question relating to the environment had been raised.."Photographs have been filed in support of the averments made which present a very dismal picture of the area in question, seeing which we are satisfied that substantial questions relating to environment have been raised in the present Original Application," the NGT said..The application sought directions to the respondents to take immediate steps to address pollution of Ganga through discharge of untreated water from eateries or hotels at Howrah Railway Station. The plea also sought a direction to ensure that all drains discharging waste from these establishments are connected to the nearest sewerage treatment plant (STP).The plea further alleged that the establishments were operating without consent from the West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB). It stated that the board had directed nine such establishments operating on the river's bank to shift to the eastern side of the railway station.A writ petition against this order was rejected by the Calcutta High Court, the plea underlined.Additionally, it alleged that the backyard of the Railway Mail Service (RMS) presented a very dirty and unclean spectacle, with septic tanks having a direct outlet into the river Ganga.The plea also alleged that the Hooghly Nadi Jalapath Paribahan Samabay Samity (HNJPSS), which is operated and managed by the State Government, had constructed its toilets on the riverbank with waste flowing into the river. Further, it was alleged that the WBPCB had ordered a hotel to be closed by December 2022 but the hotel was still in operation. Additionally, more illegal eateries adjacent to the ferry service point were highlighted, rendering the ferry service area unclean..Upon reviewing the photographs attached to the plea, the Tribunal issued a notice to the Government of West Bengal, WBPCB, Howrah Municipal Corporation, National Mission for Clean Ganga, and Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Port Trust.The Tribunal specifically directed the WBPCB to file a detailed counter-affidavit listing all the hotels or eateries operating in the area in question and demonstrating how many were equipped with STPs and how many were in compliance with environmental norms, including having the necessary consent to operate..The West Bengal government was represented by advocate Sibojyoti Chakraborty.Howrah Municipal Corporation was represented by advocate Amrita Pandey.WPPCB was represented by advocate Prithwish Basu.National Mission for Clean Ganga was represented by advocate Ashok Prasad..[Read Order]