Government planning to curb powers of #National Green Tribunal(NGT)

Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) has plans to amend the National Green Tribunal Act, which was passed during the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) is the only judicial body below the Supreme Court before which cases related to environment and forests can be filed. Centre is considering setting up a committee to review the law and make National Green Tribunal a toothless advisory body. Environment minister Prakash Javadekar refused to comment on the same.
It may be noted that Supreme Court had earlier upheld the stay on construction imposed by the National Green Tribunal in the eco-sensitive zone surrounding the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Construction around the eco-sensitive Okhla Bird Sanctuary had been halted.
The NGT had restrained the Noida Authority from granting completion certification to any of the projects in the zone. The NGT had also deemed all Environmental Clearances as "inoperational" until a No Objection Certificate is secured from the National Board For Wildlife. Builders appealed against this NGT order in the SC but the apex court had dismissed the petition outright.
Builders lobby and large industrial houses are putting pressure on Modi government to curb the powers of National Green Tribunal (NGT) to get faster project clearances in the fragile eco-sensitive zones. ‘It seems that government is succumbing to these pressure groups,’ said Congress Rajya Sabha MP Mani Shankar Iyer.