The Supreme Court on Monday directed the West Bengal Environment Secretary to appear before it on Wednesday along with a status report on the critically and severely polluted areas in the state.
A bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar, Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul asked the official to be present on February 22 as it noted that even after a lapse of five weeks, the state has not filed its response before the court.
The court in its last hearing on January 16, asked eight states to file affidavits within four weeks stating the position of their critically and severely polluted areas.
The court then said that in the event of a failure to do so, the Environment Secretary would have to be present in the court personally.
The apex court in its January 16 order had said that if any of the states failed to file its response, "the Secretary (Environment) of the said state shall remain present in Court, along with the relevant record, to assist this Court, in the final disposal of the controversy, on the next date of hearing".
Earlier on February 17, the court had given four weeks to all the states to file their replies to the PIL by a Gujarat-based NGO, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, which had flagged the issue of harmful consequences of the industrial pollution.
All states but West Bengal complied with the apex court's order.
The bench was irked when counsel for West Bengal sought two more weeks to file the affidavit.
"You are a wonderful lawyer. You will not file affidavit in five weeks. You want two more weeks' time. And you will also not bring the man as ordered last time," the bench observed.
The Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti has sought direction that no industrial unit should be allowed to operate unless it was equipped with effluent treatment plant as large-scale pollution was adversely impacting the water bodies, including the ground water and the seawater around the coasts as well.
As Chief Justice Khehar asked how much time it would take to set up an effluent treatments plant, senior counsel Vijay Panjwani said it would take two years while another senior counsel, Colin Gonsalves, said it would be done in just six months.
Panjwani told the court it was not just setting up the ETP but also constructing drains linking them to industrial units tghat would take time.
While Gonsalves appeared for the petitioner NGO Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, Panjwani appeared for the Central Pollution Control Board.
--IANS
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