Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has expressed its concern over dumping of plastic waste in riverbanks and water bodies in the country.
“There is widespread use of plastic in the areas which are to be kept free from such pollution potential products. The dumping of plastic is causing serious environment degradation and also impacting aquatic life in the riverbanks and the water bodies in the country.
“Unless concerted effort is made by the responsible authorities with people’s cooperation, irrespective of the efforts to target illegal/unauthorised constructions, the desired improvement of the quality of the water in river Ganga/all other rivers and water bodies in the country will remain illusory,” said a Bench presided over by Justice Hrishikesh Roy, as it dealt with a plea seeking removal of illegal encroachments or constructions adjacent to river Ganga in Bihar’s Patna.
The Bench, also comprising Justice SVN Bhatti, asked the Union Government, National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG), Bihar government to file an affidavit within four weeks on the issues raised in the appeal, along with the environment concerns raised by the apex court regarding dumping of plastic waste in riverbanks and water bodies.
The appeal filed by a Patna-based resident said that in several areas of the floodplain, all residential buildings and houses are digging borewells without any permission or approval from the authorities concerned.
