The National Green Tribunal has been established on 18.10.2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources including enforcement of any legal right relating to environment and giving relief and compensation for damages to persons and property and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
The landmark Judgements are as:
- The POSCO case- NGT suspended the Odisha Government’s order for the establishment of the steel plant and it is considered as a radical step in favour of the local communities and forests.
- Art of Living Festival on Yamuna Food Plain: NGT Panel has found that the organisers of the Art of Living Festival violated the environmental norms and it has severely damaged the food plane area at the bank of Yamuna River in Delhi. The NGT panel imposed a penalty of Rs. 5 Crore on Art of Living Foundation as environmental compensation after coming down heavily on the foundation for not disclosing its full plans
- Goa Foundation case: The Tribunal directed the MoEF to file its reply on the report within 4 weeks for the protection of western ghats within the framework.
- Ban on 10year old diesel vehicles.
- The NGT on November 12 capped the number of pilgrims visiting the Vaishno Devi shrine in Jammu and Kashmir to 50,000 a day. If that number is exceeded, they could be stopped either at Ardhkumari or Katra, the green tribunal ruled.
- The NGT, in August, imposed an interim ban on plastic bags of less than 50-micron thickness in Delhi because “they were causing animal deaths, clogging sewers and harming the environment”
- Ganga and Yamuna rejuvenation
- Laying guidelines to set up sewage treatment plan and utilising treated sewage for nonpotable uses to conserve fresh water and ground water resources.
- It slapped a 100 cr fine on the Tamil nadu govt. over inordinate delay in removal of encroachments along and pollution in Adyar and Cooum rivers.
- On solid waste management, it asked the Delhi government and civic bodies to deposit 250 crore in escrow account to facilitate waste removal and landfill sites.
