Thu May 29 15:23:03 UTC 2025: **Summary:**

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) Eastern Zone Bench has threatened prosecution against the Odisha state government, the Bargarh District Collector, and Bargarh municipal authorities for failing to comply with 2023 directives regarding municipal waste management and pollution control. A petition revealed that waste was being dumped in unscientific manner in ward 15. An inspection revealed that critical directions, including environmental remediation, installation of sewage treatment plants, and bio-mining of waste, remained unimplemented, leading to ongoing contamination of the Jeera River. The NGT has given the respondents one month to explain their non-compliance or face potential imprisonment and fines under the NGT Act.

**News Article:**

**Odisha Officials Face Prosecution Threat Over Pollution Non-Compliance**

**BHUBANESWAR, May 29, 2025** – The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a stern warning to Odisha state officials, including the Bargarh District Collector and Bargarh Municipality, threatening legal action over their failure to address critical waste management issues and control pollution of the Jeera River. The NGT’s Kolkata-based Eastern Zone Bench cited “lackadaisical approach” and repeated non-compliance with its 2023 directives as the reason for the potential prosecution.

The issue stems from a petition filed by a Bargarh resident alleging unscientific waste disposal practices and severe contamination of the Jeera River, a vital drinking water source. In 2023, the NGT mandated environmental remediation measures, the installation of sewage treatment plants (STPs), and the completion of bio-mining of legacy waste, setting deadlines that were subsequently missed.

A January 2025 inspection revealed that the required penalty amount for environmental remediation hadn’t been deposited, STPs remained uninstalled, and bio-mining was incomplete. Untreated sewage continued to flow into the Jeera River, resulting in contamination beyond permissible limits.

While the District Collector cited some progress in a recent affidavit, the NGT deemed it insufficient, stating that its original orders had largely gone unheeded.

The NGT has now given the state government, District Collector, and Bargarh Municipality one month to explain why they should not be prosecuted under Section 26 of the NGT Act, which carries penalties of up to three years imprisonment and fines up to ₹10 crore. The Member Secretary of the Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) must also explain why no action has been taken for the breaches.

“This is a rare instance of the Tribunal contemplating prosecution against government functionaries for repeated defiance of its orders,” noted Shankar Pani, counsel for the petitioner.

The next hearing is scheduled for July 28.

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