NGT grants last chance to 13 cricket stadiums to respond on this issue

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday granted a final opportunity to 13 cricket stadiums across the country to respond to its earlier notices on a plea against use of groundwater without considering alternative sources like rain water and sewage treatment plant (STP) treated water. [Haider Ali v. Union of India and Ors].A Coram of Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, judicial member Justice Sudhir Agarwal and expert member Dr A Senthil Vel noted that out of the 22 stadiums impleaded, only 9 had filed responses..The Tribunal was hearing an application for compliance of its earlier order in the matter.In an April 2021 order, it had directed the Secretary, Ministry of Jal Shakti to hold a joint meeting with the nominees of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (not below the rank of Joint Secretary) and representatives of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) to consider the issue of regulating extraction of ground water for maintenance of cricket grounds..Counsel for the applicant informed the Tribunal that these directions were not complied with and cricket stadiums were using groundwater without the requisite no objection certificate (NOC). Further, he submitted that the stadiums had not set up rain water harvesting systems and had not explored the possibility of utilising STP treated water. The Tribunal had in 2023 issued notices to the concerned stadiums and called for reports that had not yet been submitted.Accordingly, as a final opportunity, it granted three weeks to the stadiums to file their responses..Counsel for one of the stadiums also informed the NGT that its application for grant of NOC to the concerned state ground water authority had been pending for nine months.The NGT took note and directed that all the applications by stadiums pending before the concerned authorities will be decided expeditiously. The matter will be heard further on August 13..BCCI was represented by Senior Advocate Abhinav Mukerji and Advocate Bihu Sharma.Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA) was represented by Advocate Gigi C George.Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium was represented by Advocate SP Deshpande.Punjab Cricket Association was represented by Advocate Prashant Manchanda.Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium was represented by Advocates Varun Byreddy and Akhil Naidu..[Read Order]