Judgement of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Arti Vs Central Ground Water Authority & Others dated 25/02/2022.

The matter related to the condition of ground water in district Ghaziabad with all the four blocks in the district coming under over-stressed category. Ground water is depleting very rapidly particularly, on account of illegal and unauthorized abstraction by various hotels, marriage halls, party lawns etc. located in district Ghaziabad.

The NGT directed Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) and Uttar Pradesh Jal Nigam (UPJN) to submit a report on remedial action taken on account of the violation of environmental laws in abstraction of groundwater illegally within three months.

The NGT directed the constitution of joint committees comprising UPPCB, CGWA and concerned District Magistrates and direct to find out hotels, marriage/banquet halls/resorts, guest houses in Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bareilly, Varanasi, Jhansi, and Gorakhpur abstracting ground water without NOC from the competent authority, take remedial action and submit report within one month.