NGT Says Major Railways Stations Having Potential Of Causing Pollution Are Not Beyond Environmental Laws Of Land [Read Order]

Principal Bench of National Green Tribunal has held that Major Railway stations, must secure Consent to Establish/Expansion and Consent to operate under the Water Act and the Air Act, within three months failing which the State Board will take necessary action under the provisions of Water and Air Act in accordance with law. A bench led by Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, while hearing a petition filed by one Saloni Singh, highlighting the pollution caused at railway stations was informed by Railways that stations are not required to obtain consent under the Water Act, 1974, the Air Act, 1984 and the Hazardous Materials Act, 2016 in view of press release issued by the MoEF&CC on 05.03.2016. No production/manufacturing industries activity takes place at railway stations and therefore the Water Act, Air Act and the Hazardous Rules, are not applicable. It has directed the team comprising of CPCB and concerned SPCBs/PCCs to evaluate the performance of major railway stations both in terms of implementation of action plans and compliance to the provisions of the Water Act, Air Act and Environmental Protection Act and Rules framed thereunder, before March 31, 2020 and file the action taken report by April 15, 2020.