The National Green Tribunal has directed all states and Union Territories (UTs) to explain within a week whether appointments of Chairmen and Member Secretaries in state pollution control boards have been made as per the guidelines stipulated by it.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar warned that if the reply is not filed by them within the requisite time, it would impose a cost of Rs 25,000 on each defaulting state or UT.
"All the state governments and the UTs shall file a specific reply within one week on whether they have complied with the directions contained in the judgment of the tribunal of August 24, 2016.
"Whether the Rules have been framed in accordance to the judgment and appointment of Member Secretary/Chairman have been made in terms of the same, if framed. Whether the Chairman/Member Secretary presently working in the state board are qualified as per the judgment to hold the said post," the bench said.
The matter was listed for next hearing on July 12.
The Maharashtra government is among several parties which have challenged the June 8 NGT order in the Supreme Court, barring the heads of 10 state pollution boards from working till the appointments are made in accordance with its judgment.
The states are Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Kerala, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Maharashtra and Manipur.
The green panel, however, had granted three months to Delhi government and two months to Punjab and Uttar Pradesh for making the appointments to their pollution control boards as per the guidelines issued by it.
The NGT had in August last year asked the state governments to fill the vacancies in the boards as per the guidelines laid down by it and file their reports.
The green panel, which had issued a slew of guidelines for appointments to the posts of Chairman and Member Secretary, had in August said the nominations should be of persons who have "special knowledge, practical experience or qualification in environment protection studies" and not on the ground of their association with state government.
The tribunal said the chairman or member secretary should have a fixed term, which should not be extended. Such persons should not hold office in the Board in accordance to their tenure in state government.
The judgement had come on a plea by Uttarakhand resident Rajendra Singh Bhandari, who had challenged the constitution of state pollution control boards on the grounds that people who did not qualify were appointed as chairman, member secretary and members of these boards.
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