Mohini Sharma vs State of Uttarakhand

Application is registered based on a Letter Petition received by Email.

The grievances in this letter Petition sent by Mrs. Mohini Sharma resident of Mohalla Dheerwali, BHEL Road, Jwalapur, Haridwar, Uttarakhand are against noise pollution caused by operation of Iron Workshop in residential area in front of house of the applicant causing serious health hazards to applicant and other local residents. The applicant has averred that the representations were made to the concerned authorities but no action has been taken on the same.

This Tribunal is empowered to suo moto take cognizance of the cases involving questions relating to environment arising out of the implementation of enactments specified in Schedule I of the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 as held by Hon’ble Supreme Court in Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai V/s. Ankita Sinha and others 2021 SSC Online SC 897.This Tribunal can also take cognizance of such cases on the basis of letter petitions in accordance with settled principles of law governing Public Interest Litigation.

Vide order dated 04.07.2022, this Tribunal took cognizance and constituted a Joint Committee comprising of the State PCB, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Haridwar and directed the same to submit Factual and Action Taken Report within two months. The relevant part of the order reads as under:-

“In view of the serious allegations made in the application, it would be appropriate to have a factual and action taken report in the matter. Accordingly, we constitute a Joint Committee comprising of State PCB, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Haridwar. The State PCB will be the Nodal agency for coordination and compliance. The Joint Committee may meet within four weeks, undertake site visits, look into the grievances of the applicant, verify the factual position and take requisite action by following due process of law. Factual and action taken report may be furnished within two months by e-mail at [email protected] preferably in the form of searchable PDF/OCR Support PDF and not in the form of Image PDF. ”

In compliance thereof, the Joint Committee has submitted Factual and Action Taken Report vide email dated 20.09.2022. The relevant part of the report reads as under:-

“X                         X                            X                           X                          X                            X

In compliance of order passed by the Hon'ble National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi on dated 04.07.2022, the Joint Committee undertaken the inspection of workshop on 05.08.2022 and 22.08.2022.. Following officials were part of Joint Committee:

i) City Magistrate, Distt- Haridwar.

ii) Assistant Police Superintendent/Regional Office, Jwalapur, Distt-Haridwar.

iii) Regional Officer (I/c), Uttarakhand Pollution Control Board, Roorkee, Distt- Haridwar.

iv) Assistant Tax Commissioner, Nagar Nigam, Distt- Haridwar.

v) Shri Gaurav Shara, Complainant.

vi) Shri Ajay Kumar, Workshop owner.

II. FACTUAL REPORT

Observations during inspection of workshop by the members of Joint Committee are as given below:

निरीक्षण के समय शिकायतकर्ता श्री गौरव शर्मा द्वारा अवगत कराया गया कि उपरोक्त वर्क शाप के संचालन से ध्वनि प्रदूषण होता है, जिस कारण मेरी वृद्ध माता को स्वास्थ सम्बन्धी परेशानी होती है एवं मेरे आनलाईन के काम में व्यवधान पैदा होता है। मौके पर वर्क शाप का निरीक्षण किया गया। जिसमें किसी प्रकार का कार्य होता नहीं पाया गया। वर्क शाप संचालक श्री अजय कुमार द्वारा अवगत कराया गया कि आर्डर न होने के कारण वर्क शाप में कार्य  बन्द है। मौके पर निरीक्षण में पाया गया कि वर्क शाप में 10 x 12 फिट की दुकान पर कार्य किया जा रहा है। जिसमें कटिंग, वैल्डिंग एवं फैब्रिक ेशन का कार्य  किया जाता है। शिकायतकर्ता का घर वर्कशाप से सड़क की दूसरी तरफ 20 से 25 फिट की दूर पर स्थित है।

प्रकरण पर संयुक्त समिति द्वारा निर्णय लिया गया कि वर्क शाप के संचालन के समय ध्वनि का अनुश्रवण किया जाये तथा ध्वनि अनुश्रवण रिपोर्ट नगर मजिस्ट्रेट कार्यालय में प्रेषित की जाये। तद्नुसार नगर मजिस्ट्रेट कार्यालय में गतिमान वाद पर अंतिम निर्णय लिया जा सके व मा0 एन0जी0टी0 को Action Taken Report  से अवगत कराया जा सके।

बोर्ड के प्रतिनिधि द्वारा क्रमशः दिनांक 05.08.2022 व दिनांक 22.08.2022 को ध्वनि प्रदूषण अनुश्रवण हेतु वर्क शाप का औचक निरीक्षण किया गया। किन्तु उक्त दोनो मौक पर वर्क शाप पर कार्य होता नहीं पाया गया। जिस कारण अनुश्रवण नहीं किया जा सका।

उक्त शिकायती प्रकरण पर नगर मजिस्ट्रेट न्यायालय में श्री अजय कुमार, आयरन वर्क शाप महोल्ला न्यू घीरवाली, बी0एच0ई0एल0 रोड, ज्वालापुर जनपद-हरिक्षर के विरूद्ध धारा-133(1) द0प्र0सं0 1973 के तहत वाद दायर है जिस पर कार्यवाही गतिमान है।

CONCLUSION AND ACTION TAKEN BY UKPCB:

On the said complaint case, a suit is filed in the Municipal Magistrate Court against Mr. Ajay Kumar, Iron Workship Mohalla, New Dhirawali, BHEL Road, Jwalapur, Haridwar under Section-133(1) D.Pr.S. 1973 on which proceedings are in progress.”

Since the proceedings have already been initiated under Section 133(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, no further intervention by this Tribunal at this stage is required and the application is disposed of accordingly.

The District Magistrate, Haridwar is directed to send Action Taken Report on conclusion of the proceeding under Section 133 (1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 to the Ld. Registrar General, National Green Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi who may, if necessary, put up the matter before this Bench for further directions.

A copy of this order be State PCB, District Magistrate and Superintendent of Police, Haridwar for requisite compliance.