By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, August 20, 2018: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday directed the union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) to visit Chhattisgarh, review the alleged illegal construction of barrages on the upper catchment areas of Mahanadi River and submit a report within three months.

“The MoEF has been directed to act on the letter that it had sent to the Chhattisgarh government on September 20, 2017 in which it had labelled the barrages constructed on the upstream of the Mahanadi River as illegal. The NGT also ordered the ministry to take all the necessary measures and submit a report within three months. If the MoEF doesn’t submit a satisfactory report, I will again approach the NGT,” said a social activist from Odisha, Sudarsan Das, the petitioner.

Advocate General of Odisha Surya Prasad Misra said, “The MoEF will have to submit a report within three months failing which the court will again take up the matter for hearing.”

Das hailed the NGT decision expressing hope that the tribunal’s verdict will help resolve the matter soon.

Advocate Hritik Dutt, who appeared on behalf of Das said that the MoEF will take action in accordance to the letter it had written to Chhattisgarh terming its six projects on Mahanadi illegal as the cumulative impact assessment of the projects was not done.