Chennai: Normal work was paralysed in the Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal, Chennai, as judicial member Justice M. S. Nambiar retired on Tuesday. When matters came up for hearing before the tribunal on Wednesday, officials adjourned them to January 30 and February 7.
The National Green Tribunal was established on October 18, 2010, under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010 for effective and expeditious disposal of cases relating to environmental protection and conservation of forests and other natural resources. The NGT, a specialised body, is equipped with the necessary expertise to handle environmental disputes involving multi-disciplinary issues.
The tribunal has been mandated to dispose of applications or appeals within six months of filing.
The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal was constituted in November 2012 and deals with issues pertaining to the environment and ecology in the southern states of Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and the union territories of Puducherry and Lakshadweep. The hearing commenced in the NGT, Chennai with a single bench and the second bench was constituted in September 2016.
Speaking to DC, advocate G. Nanmaran said that over 1,700 cases are pending before the tribunal.
After setting up the second bench in the Southern Bench of the NGT, people hoped that matters would be settled quickly. Judicial member Justice Dr. P.Jyothimani retired from service in October last year and expert member B. S. Rao retired in November last year.
Now, the only judicial member Justice M. S. Nambiar retired from service on Tuesday. After this, all work came to a standstill in the tribunal. Nanmaran urged the Central government to fill all existing vacancies immediately.
