The National Green Tribunal today rapped the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and Uttarakhand government for not taking clear stand on rafting camps operating on the banks of Ganga from Shivpuri to Rishikesh in Uttarakhand.
"Have you conducted any survey that rafting is causing pollution or not? Has Uttarakhand government, state pollution control board inspected any of these camps? Who has granted them permission and where are the inspection reports?, a bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said.
The green panel slammed the Environment Ministry for not taking a clear view on the nature of the activities undertaken by these rafting camps.
"These (rafting camps) people have their urgency. What is this going on? We had asked the status on site. It's not fair at all," the bench said.
The Tribunal also directed Uttarakhand government to produce original records of permissions granted to rafting camps in last one year and asked the officials to appear before it on August 13.
The bench, which refused any relief to the rafting camps, asked the state government to inform it about the cases in which action has been taken against the camps for causing pollution till date.
"Have you till date ever picked a single case of violation and what action have you taken?" the bench sought to know.
During the proceedings, rafting associations contended that rafting activity cannot be treated as non-forest activity as per Forest (Conservation) Act and sought permission from the Tribunal to carry out their operations.
The rafting associations said that they were promoting eco-tourism and their activity cannot be put on par with other commercial units.
"We have been carrying out this activity since decades and strictly adhering to all the regulations and even the guidelines of Wildlife Institute of India which stipulated conditions like-- dry pits for toilet, no running water, no electricity etc," the Association said.
The green panel was hearing the plea of an NGO Social Action for Forest and Environment (SAFE) against the "unregulated" operation of rafting camps in Rishikesh.
