The National Green Tribunal has expressed its dissatisfaction over the maintenance of green cover in NTPC's power plant in Jaitpur in Madhya Pradesh.
A central zonal bench comprising of Justice Dalip Singh directed National Thermal Power Corporation to carry out circular weeding of at least one metre radius around the base of each plant to prevent growth of weeds and grasses.
The order came on a plea of Shatrughan Lal who claimed that NTPC had uprooted 4,139 trees during its fifth stage expansion and in spite of the directions issued by the authorities to plant 16,556 trees to compensate the loss, it failed to do so.
"The photographs filed with the reply by NTPC indicate that the planting has been done in the vacant spaces within the factory premises including the office complexes, residential quarters etc," the bench said.
"Though survival appears to be good, the maintenance is not satisfactory. There is a heavy weed growth and the young plants are struggling because of it," it said.
The tribunal also directed the power plant to protect the trees in the area from cattle and wild animals by erecting fences.
The petitioner claimed that the poor maintenance of green cover has led to increase in pollution levels and consequent damage to the health of the people living in that area.
Lal had sought direction to NTPC to shift its plant from Jaitpur village to some other place to prevent damage to the health of the local people and also plant 16,556 new trees in the area.
NTPC, however, claimed that massive tree plantation programme had been taken up and about 19,71,500 trees of different varieties have been planted and maintained to reduce the pollution in the surroundings.
