Govt directed to clarify policy on protecting rivers

Mumbai: The Bombay high court asked the state government on Tuesday to file an affidavit on the failure to implement river regulation zone (RRZ) norms adversely affecting the water quality in the state’s 49 rivers.

A division bench of justices Abhay Oka and Riyaz Chagla was hearing a public interest petition Vanshakti Public Trust had filed seeking the court’s intervention in curbing pollution damage to the rivers.

The petitioner contended that in the absence of a proper RRZ policy, builders were carrying out indiscriminate construction work on riverbeds.

The petitioner also referred to a report of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) stating that the water quality of the state’s 49 rivers had shown deterioration at all the 156 testing points. The petitioner contended that the state scrapped its RRZ policy for the benefit of land developers.

Counsel for the state informed the court that the state government scrapped the RRZ policy as it came under the purview of the Centre. Counsel also said the Union government was yet to frame a policy. Counsel contended the CPCB report was vague.

However, Mohamedali Chunawala, senior counsel for the Union, refuted the claims of the state and said that the Union government framed a draft policy in 2014 which it conveyed to the states.

He said the government had also submitted it to the court through an affidavit and hence the state’s claims were contrary to the affidavit.

The court directed the state to file a statement as to whether it had any policies for safeguarding the rivers and also directed the Maharashtra Pollution Control
Board (MPCB) to file an affidavit with regard to the CPCB report by June 22 and posted the matter for hearing on June 26.