Increasing number of cases coming before National Green Tribunal reflects people's faith in its environmental justice system, NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar today said.
"From January 2013 to September 30, 2013, there has been a 280 per cent increase in filing of cases in the NGT in comparison to last year," he said.
"The disposal rate has increased by 200 per cent during the same period. It shows faith of public at large in delivery of environmental justice by the tribunal," Justice Kumar said.
He was speaking at the occasion of the Third Foundation Day and inauguration of the NGT's new building-Faridkot House in Lutyens Delhi.
The tribunal has so far been working out of makeshift arrangements in two separate locations in south Delhi and facing a space crunch.
Justice Kumar also said that its Kolkata bench might start functioning from November.
He said the tribunal so far has been successful in disposing of its cases within six months of filing and hopes to maintain the trend as it will soon gets its full complement of expert and judicial members.
The new premises were allocated to the tribunal after the intervention of the Supreme Court which had last year directed the government to shift the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) which was occupying the premises.
The infrastructure and accommodation issues faced by the tribunal members- judicial and expert- and the staff as well as setting up of additional benches have been closely monitored by the apex court whose active involvement and warnings to the government is responsible for setting up of three additional benches at Chennai, Bhopal and Pune apart from the Principal Bench at Delhi.
The Pune bench began functioning from August 8 after several warnings from the apex court which had directed that it be made functional from August 1.
Kolkata is yet to get a bench as the West Bengal government has not satisfied the NGT or the apex court with the accommodation and infrastructure arrangements made by it.
