Order of the National Green Tribunal in the matter of Atul Singh Chauhan Vs Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change & Others dated 30/11/2022.

The application has been filed by the State of Uttar Pradesh through Additional Chief Secretary, Environment seeking directions for discontinuing the Oversight Committee, constituted by the Tribunal vide order dated October 21, 2019 on suggestion of the state itself in its application dated July 16, 2019.

The court was informed that Uttar Pradesh has developed a dedicated UP Environment Compliance Portal for monitoring of various issues in compliance with directions of the NGT. Further, the access of the portal is given to the Chief Secretary, State Level Monitoring Committees and the District Level Committee. Portal has been provided with "dedicated template for online filing of the compliance status to be reviewed at state level by the state level committees".

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The committee has monitored compliance of environmental issues in the last three years but now the state itself is in a position to "effectively monitor compliance of all environmental issues by its own mechanism".

The NGT while accepting the request of the state of Uttar Pradesh said it has no objection to the request of the state to evolve its own mechanism. The court directed the Chief Secretary, Uttar Pradesh to interact with the oversight committee for modalities to take over its work by a suitable mechanism, "giving reasonable time to the committee for the transition".

The NGT emphasised that the state must keep in mind the fact that stringent continuing monitoring at the highest level by a credible mechanism is inevitable in view of serious non compliances being monitored by the court, especially those relating to solid and liquid waste management, pollution of rivers Ganga and Yamuna.