The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has directed the state environment secretary to submit a report within four weeks stating steps being taken to ensure coordinated action by various state government departments to control pollution in the Bagjola canal.
The bench said the departments have been pointing fingers at each other when it comes to taking the onus of cleaning the Bagjola canal, a key drainage channel along VIP Road that has allegedly turned into a floating waste dumping zone.
The eastern zone bench of the tribunal, consisting of Justice B. Amit Sthalekar and expert member Arun Kumar Verma, passed the order on April 8 in response to a petition by environment activist Subhas Datta.
The formal order of the bench was accessed on Wednesday.
“Considering that there are various departments of the state government working at odds with each other resulting in each pointing a finger at the other with respect to the responsibility, we direct the principal secretary, department of environment, Govt. of West Bengal, to look into the matter directly and file affidavit… stating what action has been taken for coordinated action by the various departments,” reads the order.
The bench also asked the environment secretary to “outline the remedial measures taken or to be taken” and mention the deadlines.
“The highly polluted condition of the (Bagjola) canal prompted the NGT to take up the issue suo motu in 2017. I was made the amicus curiae in the case. In 2022, the tribunal disposed of the case with several time-bound directions. But as the government has failed to comply with most of them, I filed a fresh petition in January with nearly 70 photographs,” said Datta.
He told Metro that untreated liquid waste flows into the canal, which has got choked because of rampant encroachments.
In response to the activist’s allegations, various state government departments — including urban development and municipal affairs, irrigation and public works — filed affidavits.
The bench said the affidavits were in conflict with each other.
An official of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority promised action while responding to the bench’s order.
“We have decided to initiate a Rs 166-crore project soon to clean up the canal. Work is expected to be over by 2028-29,” he said.